I was at an A&W; Restaurant Outlet this afternoon and ordered my favourite softdrink … The famous A&W; Rootbeer.

BUT …

Instead of getting the usual ice cold rootbeer in a cold glass mug, I was served this ….

The rootbeer was served in a paper cup and it is not cold as expected. I wouldn’t mind as much if I ordered to go, but I was a dine-in customer. When asked, the girl behind the counter said, “oh, we are out of glass mugs.”

Not even an apology or asking me in advanced if I don’t mind the rootbeer served in a paper cup. Even then, I would not take that as an excuse. A&W; all around the world serve their rootbeers in tall, icy cold glass mugs and it is no reason this one outlet in Ampang serve its rootbeer in paper cups.

Each outlet should have enough mugs to serve everyone of its customer for the whole day of operations and serve the rootbeer like this, as advertised ….

Otherwise, I would call it false advertising.

Call me anal … but I want my A&W; Rootbeer in the tall, iced cold glass mug.

Posted by Wordmobi

Another free internet service shutting down soon …

End of the year www.storytlr.com will close its doors. A pity, since I use this very service as my lifestream blog.  Here’s the link to my Lifestream 2.0 – after 31 Dec ‘09, the link won’t work, though.

This is what the owner had to say about the termination of this very good online lifestreaming blog service …

Storytlr will stop operating on December 31st 2009The title says it all, we have decided to stop operating Storytlr in 10 weeks, on December 31st 2009. The reason is simple: our lives have moved on, kids were born, house were bought, new projects appeared and we dont have time anymore to operate this service properly. … {more}

via Storytlr Blog | Storytlr will stop operating on December 31st 2009.

I had my domain name www.nazley.net to point to this service to make it my main website, so that friends and families could be updated of whatever is happening in my life … what I do, my complaints and rants, my latest photos and facebook updated.  I even linked to what I like reading in Google Reader to storytlr.com. So, the news about the end of storytlr did make me a little upset.

I said “did” … because I found an alternative solution.

After reading the notice of service termination, I quickly scour the internet and found a replacement. Yayyy … I can still have a Lifestream 2.0 version 2 (maybe I should name it Lifestream 2.1 :P)

Chi.mp is the new service provider.

Chi.mp gives me a cool domain http://nazley.mp, and I can also point my www.nazley.net domain name to the page as well. I think storytlr.com has a cleaner look to my lifestreaming blog, but the themes provided by chi.mp isn’t all that bad. Just a little outdated, I guess, design wise in my honest opinion.

I am happy now, that I still have another alternative to keep my lifestream blog online for free (yeah, I am such a cheapskate) but the fact that chi.mp bears the “beta” stamp on its website, I can’t be assured that the service would be there many years to come.

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I know … It’s usually for breakfast, but I forgot to take the Bonito Fish (Ikan Tongkol) out of the freezer. The fish got fully thawed at close to 10:00am. It’s not possible to cook for breakfast. In my books breakfast is a meal served before 9:00am. Even McDonalds stop serving breakfast menu at 11:00am.

I finished cooking about half past eleven, just in time for my wife to have a quick brunch before she leaves for an afternoon appointment. The expression I got from here was priceless … Not just the lovely smile but I can ‘feel’ she likes it a lot.

Personally, for me, the feeling of satisfaction is beyond words.

Here’s the recipe.

The Rice (Nasi Dagang)

• - 1 cup gluteneous rice / sticky rice
• - 2 cups long grain rice.

Mix, rinse and soak the rice for about 3-4 hours.

• - 5 shallots finely sliced
• - 5 pips garlic, finely sliced
• - 1 inch ginger, julienned
• - 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

Add the above to the presoaked rice and steam the rice (in a couscous steamer preferably) until tender, but not fully cooked.

• - 1 litre of thick coconut milk
• - salt to taste

Add salt to the coconut milk and add to the steamed rice a little at a time mixing the coconut milk into the rice. Put back on the stove and steam for a few more minutes until the rice is cooked, tender and flaky.

The Curry (Gulai Ikan Tongkol).

• - 5 shallots
• - 3 pips garlic
• - 1 inch garlic
• - 1 inch galangal
• - 1 inch fresh tumeric (1 tsp tumeric powder)
• - 2 red chili.
• - 2 tablespoon grated coconut.
• - 2 tablespoon curry powder
• - 1 litre coconut milk.

In a food processor, blend the above into a paste. Cook the paste with a cup of water to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Put in the coconut milk.

• - 600 grams Bonito Fish (ikan tongkol) chunks.
• - 10 bird eye chilli (optional)
• - 1 cucumber cut into half inch chunks
• - 6 Belimbing (can substitute with small green tomatoes).

Add in the fish and leave to simmer until the fish is cooked. Lastly add the chilli, cucumber and belimbing and continue to simmer for a couple more minutes untul the vegetables are cooked.

Serve the Nasi Dagang with the Gulai Ikan Tongkol.

via hersheys.com

Will be baking some brownies this weekend … yummy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted and divided
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup HERSHEY’S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13×9x2-inch baking pan or two 8-inch square baking pans.

2. Stir together cocoa and baking soda in large bowl; stir in 1/3 cup butter. Add boiling water; stir until mixture thickens. Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining 1/3 cup butter; stir until smooth. Add flour, vanilla and salt; blend completely. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan.

3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan, 30 to 35 minutes for square pans or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost with ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING. Cut into squares. About 36 brownies.

ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter in medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Posted in Food and Cooking ]]> http://nazley.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/hersheys-kitchens-recipes-ultimate-chocolate-brownies/feed/ 0 nazley http://nazley.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/new-mta-constitution-take-it-or-leave-it-lah/ http://nazley.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/new-mta-constitution-take-it-or-leave-it-lah/#comments Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:04:10 +0000 nazley http://nazley.wordpress.com/?p=1762 ]]>

MTA turmoil continues …

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 —Former Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA) president Raja Taharuddin Nong Chik today criticised the new constitution formulated by the MTA ad-hoc committee, claming it was a lop-sided document.

He claimed that the constitution accorded more voting rights to clubs which were previously under state associations, thus eroding the voting power of state associations.

“They should have consulted affiliate members first before deciding on the constitution,” he told reporters here today.

The ad-hoc committee is chaired by Olympic Council of Malaysia president Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar with memberships from MTA, Malaysian Taekwondo Federation (MTF) and Malaysian Taekwondo Clubs Association (MTCA).

The committee is responsible in administering MTA and in suggesting amendment to its constitution.

Raja Taharuddin claimed that the new constitution proposed by the committee was rejected by state associations as well as MTA’s affiliate bodies comprising the Armed Forces and the Malaysian University Sports Council. — Bernama

Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com

Malaysian Taekwondo Association internal political turmoil seems to be never ending. The national body that’s supposed to handle matters about taekwondo and taekwondo clubs has been deregistered, re-registered then deregistered again … this is not taekwondo, it’s more like ping pong.

The government had already interfered and appointed an ad-hoc committee to re-write the association’s constitution … make it “LAW” then. You can’t satisfy everybody. I can’t understand the commotion about voting rights of clubs and state associations. It looks like a power struggle of sorts … Or is it?

Reading a snippet of the news, I understand why clubs were given voting rights in the first place. These Taekwondo exponents are groomed and trained by the clubs. Once these young fighters are ready to represent the state or country, the clubs will want to have some say on what their charges would do and should get. Their Masters will want their charges to get the best benefit while doing their best for the country.

Who is actually churning out new talents? Most of the time it’s the Taekwondo Clubs or academies.

If I were an owner or instructor of a taekwondo club, I do not want to see my best students to be taken away by the state and then all the credit is taken by the state when these students started bringing numerous medals for the country. I i.e. the club did all the hard work and the state associations just take the credit … I don’t see any fairness in this.

Furthermore, most taekwondo clubs are running a business. These clubs want to be credited to the success of their students so that the name of the club ranks highly in the public eyes, and the club will get more new students signing up. It’s a profit oriented business where the owners of the club neeb to generate income to pay the instructors, equipment and other overhead expenses. The word GOODWILL is very important for businesses.

I might be wrong, but State Associations are government funded bodies and it is not their main objective to make profits. The fighters will get a better centralised training then on, but the State Associations just need to ask for funding from the government or work based on the grants already given.

For this same reason, I totally support the idea that State Associations be given some right to vote as well. They shold have some say to the directions they plan to take the sport. If the direction taken is beneficial to all parties, the athlete, the clubs and the country, the State Associations should not worry too much about voting powers. After all, the state or the clubs have the same objective … to push taekwondo as a highly recognized and respected sport in the country and the world.

I am thinking out aloud here …

The government butt in and solved the internal squabbles of the MPGA (Malaysian Professional Golfers Association) successfully and I don’t think the government should do any different for Taekwondo … Or any other organizations for that matter.

Something different from the usual ‘butter and jam on toast’ breakfast.

The filling is chopped lettuce, shredded carrots, shredded cucumber, tomato slices, cheddar shavings, ketchup and yellow mustard. Roll everything up in a piece of Lebanese bread and breakfast is served … And a healthy one I might add.

These two pens has not seen any ‘action’ for a long time. Almost a year, if I recall correctly. My wife bought me a gel ink refill for the ball pen yesterday, so, this morning, I inked the fountain pen with Waterman Black and clipped both pens to my shirt pocket.

It’s a little too ‘flashy’ for everyday use, I think, but I’ll use it anyway …

I had some leftovers parsley, tomatoes, couscous and a can of chickpeas. Just the very ingredients to whip up Tabbouleh and Hummus for dinner tonight. With a piece of flatbread on the side … Yummy!

Tonight’s menu:

Grilled Cod with Black Pepper and Dill on top of wilted Rocket dressed with ginger and sesame dressing.

Broilled Asparagus wrapped with Beef Brisket Strips.

Steamed Brown Unpolished Organic Rice.

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day. The special meal for the special people in my life … My family.