HOW TO BEAT THE FUEL PRICE HIKE? GROW A LOT OF BANANAS AND SELL THE LEAVES

Once upon a time on one lazy Sunday afternoon, I asked the Mrs. to make some 'lepat pisang' and in response she asked me to go to Wing Yip to get some banana leaves. So, off I went to buy the illusive banana leaves, the item that is reserved only for the the rich and famous.

In Wing Yip, the banana leaves were sold in the vegetable section, hidden among the 'kangkungs' and the long beans. Grabbed a packet and straight I went to the cashier. The taste of the freshly steamed 'lepat pisang' to go with the afternoon tea is already in my mind. The cashier scanned the packet and looked at me. 'Sir, the price is £4.82, do you still want it' she asked. I almost jumped. The last time I bought banana leaves there, the price was between £1 to £2. This time the price was more than double. But without the banana leaves I won't have my 'lepat pisang' that afternoon. So I just closed my eyes and paid £4.82 (RM30) for 575 grams of banana leaves.

Back home the Mrs asked, 'how much?'. I replied, 'macam biasa je'. So I got my lepat pisang that day. I felt like eating the 'lepat' together with all the banana leaves when thinking the exorbitant price that I had paid.

But what to do. If you want something, you just have to pay for the price.

OF A KELANTANESE, A SRI LANKAN, A MOROCCAN, A MALAYSIAN WHO NEVER LEFT UK AND CHEF WAN

It had just been reported to me yesterday that Chef Wan is in London for some TV show and interviews with a few magazines. And of course a few non-profit organizations will seize this opportunity to haul him for some cooking demonstration in the pretext of charity drive.

One confusion yesterday will definitely made his day. The organizer, a Kelantanese lady requested for a transport for Chef Wan from his rented apartment to the location. The request was made to a Sri Lankan supervisor who is in charge of transport arrangements.

Her request sound like this "Karunanithi please send a driver to pick the CEH".

The Sri Lankan then called the drivers room and a driver "Mohammed please go to this address, go to apartment 24 and collect a CHEAR".

The driver then asked "How many chairs". The supervisor said "Only one". The driver responded "I need a messenger to come with me because there is no parking at that address. I cannot leave the car. The messenger can go up the apartment a collect the chair"

The supervisor said "Bring Mat Salleh then". Mat Salleh is a Malaysian, born in the the UK and cannot speak even a word in Bahasa.

So both of them left for the address. When they arrived Mat Salleh went into the building, passing Chef Wan who was standing there and rang the apartment.

"I lived here" said Chef Wan. "Oh hello" said Mat Salleh, "I am here to collect the chair".

"It the chef, not a chair" said Chef Wan, "and I am the Chef". "No" said Mat Salleh, "I suppose to collect a chair".

By now Chef Wan had heated up. Not only they were late, now they want to carry him as a chair to the car.

Mat Salleh called the Sri Lankan supervisor informing that there was no chair there, but an angry-looking guy who kept on repeating that he is the chef. The supervisor then called the lady Kelantanese organizer for clarification only to find out that it was actually a chef to be picked up, not a chair.

On his way to the location, Chef Wan grumbled in his usual Cik Kiah style while both the Moroccan and Malaysian just kept silence.

He will probably tell this tale in one of his show later, I guarantee......

THOSE DAYS......

Well those days, ha! ha! ha! For some unknown reason I remembered an incident that had happened in a once upon a time when I was studying in ITM.

I was so skinny those days. The side effect of being skinny and unattractive was very obvious, no other than not being able to attract a girl. I got used to it and not having a girlfriend was quite okay to me. I knew my look very well, it was so pathetic and I better stay away from trying to market myself, it won't sell.

But one night, my luck was about to change. I had borrowed my friend's motorbike to go to the library that night. Those days the students do not need to have a license to ride motorbike in ITM. When the library closed, I rode back slowly to my hostel, enjoying the night breeze. Half way I saw a girl waving in front of me. I looked behind me and there was nobody there. The girl was definitely waving for me. I stopped the bike near her and I can see that she was very beautiful. She smiled and asked me if she can have a ride to her hostel. I was very delighted and obliged straight away.

She climbed to the motorbike and I rode slowly towards the girls hostel. I started asking her name, her course, her year and lots of questions. She was so friendly and asked quite a lot of questions about me too. It seemed that she was interested in me and I felt good.

The ride was actually very slow but it seemed so fast to me. Well when you are in a company of a beautiful girl, of course time just fly. When we reached her hostel, she climbed down the motorbike and thanked me. Smiled and she dropped a bombshell. She told me that she was desperate for the ride because she urgently need to go to the toilet. She thanked me again, told me that she already had a boyfriend and ran quickly inside. I paused and was gutted, but I took it easy.

On my way back to my hostel, I couldn't stop thinking on why she hadn't been frank on her misery. Had she been frank, I would have sent her as fast as I could and saved her from all the suffering she had to endure on holding it on my slow ride. I would surely rush probably to save my friend's motorbike in case she couldn't hold it.

And why she had to tell me that she already had a boyfriend? The answer I had probably she want to make it clear to me in case I bumped to her again later. Girls.... I really don't understand them.