SMILE AND THE WORLD SMILES WITH YOU

CLOWNING AROUND

Razak and Naruto bringing cheer to the shoppers

I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician. ~CharlieChaplain~ All the world loves a clown. A clown's makeup and character, that's all he has to sell. He loves and believes in that character. I was doing some grocery shopping at Kipmart Tampoi when I heard children shriek with laughter in great joy. My sharp ears pulled me to a stage in the middle of the building. Instantaneously, I knew what had caused the commotion and the wolf whistling. Two clowns were entertaining the shoppers with their balloon craft, monkey faces and Chaplain-like antics. I wasted no time in cornering endearing Razak and Naruto into taking photos with them. They are involved in organising events and also manage Animax performances which include Naruto, X Man and Sailormoon. The guys also provide MC and DJ services besides cooking demo and planning for weddings. Beneath the guys' one-inch thick make-up, lies two men who believe in the art of entertaining and making others laugh with them. People may think that the clown is often a deadpan person, but he is actually a connoisseur of laughter. Like a magician, he conjures mirth and invokes gaiety and fun-filled moments to his audience. I haven't seen a clown who has made someone cry. Have you? But people have asked to send in the clowns in their lowest dipped point. Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand have sung 'Send In The Clowns' to ease the pain of losing someone. I remember a line from Groucho Mark which says, "Clowns work as well as aspirin, but twice as fast." I guess that's why we love and welcome the clowns to be around us. They take our pain, misery and problems momentarily and hide them with their big smiles. Probably some anguish and affliction go into their pair of prodigious shoes too. When the clowns are gone and the smile fade away, the ache and malaise are bestowed back to the rightful owners. Dark humour? Wonder to whom does the clowns pass their pain and tumultuous feelings to? To truly laugh with the world, you must be able to take your pain and play with it. Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone. Being a clown is not an easy pursuit then! You are confronted with your own feelings all the time and may struggle on how to subdue or shun them away in front of people whom you have to bring cheer to. I love what Lord Tennyson has penned, "By blood a king, in heart a clown." Thanks Razak and Naruto for the short respite with us. They also presented mum with a blue teddy bear. It was so sweet of the two gentlemen. I promised to post their contact on my blog. If you are interested in engaging them, you can e-mail to blackkakoi@yahoo.com. They love mum and took a photo with her

CHAINED UP

The watches we ended up buying

A Puma watch for hubby

A simple Titus for me

A bag I bought from Siem Reap


The face of a man poorer by a couple of hundreds after buying the watches


I will squirt chilly sauce into your eyes if you say my watch is not nice!

WATCHING TIME

Had no intention of parting my cash with a watch though I had been mulling over the idea of laying my hands on a solid-stainless steel bracelet watch.

And...lo and behold hubby and I were drawn like magnets to a City Chain store with their huge discounts of up to 70% on watches when we popped into Sembawang Shopping Centre recently. Really, I hate all these adverts gimmick and claims of fantastic discounts. Not all of these sale talks are genuine but foolish people like me do get drawn to them like ants to sugar blindly at times.

Rummaging through the displayed watches, I fell in love with one which was offered at a 50% discount while hubby was Pumamised by an irregular watch face. He, being a fanatic watch-buyer also increased his collection of time pieces after trying out a few and ended up with one more Puma watch.

I vowed to be chained to my wallet the next time I do my retail theraphy when all those placards with huge discounts stare face to face at me. Does anyone have any tips on how to resist such sales?

JUSCO @ TAMAN BUKIT INDAH

The size of the complex would wow Singaporeans!

Our first stop was at AW where we bumped into more Singaporeans

Taking order for Coney Dog

What we had missed out in Singapore - Coney Dog & root beer float

Warm customer service awaits us

Up to date boutiques to make you part with your $

Bakery and confectionery for tea

Local nasi lemak and roasted white coffee for the tummy

We love you Shukri and gang!

My kind of art wall

Cinnamon coated pretzels for Mademoiselle

The utensils used for brewing hot aromatic coffee

My dream kitchen - spacious and all white. Any sponsors?

The map to Bukit Indah Jaya Jusco

JUZ BEEN TO JUSCO

Have heard of relatives ranting and raving about another megamall that had opened up at Johor Bahru. Jusco had another outlet at Bukit Indah which is towards Perling area. We do not want to be the last Jakun on Earth to visit it, so we decided to drive there last Saturday.

Getting there was easy. You would not miss the sign of Taman Indah on the way to Perling. We were impressed not only by its sheer magnitude in size when we drove there recently but by the number of shops to distract and keep you occupied for the whole day. There were so many eateries to choose from too. That's what Singaporeans mainly go for when they exchange their SGD for RM, right?

But, that Saturday, what kept my feet going and spirits up though my size 6 feet were complaining and groaning with pain because of the long marathon round the complex, was the impressive decoration of most of the eateries. I fell madly in love with the white country deco at Bread Talk. It was simply outstanding, just like what I had been dreaming; to have such a kitchen one day.

The shutter of my digital cam went non-stop the moment I stepped into the outlet until I had to be shooed away by the manager. I was in frenzy taking away the pictures like a white shark attacking and giving no mercy to its victim. Well.....sorry ma'am....but I got what I wanted to preserve the beauty of the outlet.

LUNCH @ KOTA TINGGI

SHOP AND LUNCH

My intention of driving up to Kota Tinggi was to catch hold of my tailor, Su. My previous trip did not bear any fruits as my tailor was away for a business commitment . This time round, I made an appointment to ensure that I would not end up in the same fate as my previous trip - futile. Fruitless? No! I came back armed with load of plastic bags with purchases. Traffic along the Kota Tinggi Road can be heavy with big lorries at noon. We did not want to be caught in the traffic snarl so had left early on that cool Saturday morning for a leisurely drive.

Standing in front of Su's shop, I scanned the small space of the crammed shop to spot her. Piles and piles of materials - lace, songket, organza, Thai silk, batik and satin had arrived. The shop was overfilling with tailor-made bajus and those new stock for the Hari Raya, most of which would find their way at Geylang Bazaar. It was not difficult to detect Su, as she would always be busy with her customers, recommending lovely materials and taking measurement of them. Looking a the riots of colours and the abundant stock of bajus and materials, I bet I could get lost in the shop. I could hardly find any standing place and had to manoeuvre my way between the heaps of materials and newly arrival stock for Hari Raya.

I chose several pieces of materials for Hari Raya suits and worked the design and pattern with my tailor. I love the evergreen baju kurung. It has its elegance and sophistication if you know how to carry it well. I never fail to make a few pieces of it for formal and office wear. To add more glamour, just string some pearls or long chains round your neck. Hey Presto! You have transformed yourself into a 'Datin Wannabe' instantaneously. Having done my selection, we left in search for a cafe to have lunch.

Kota Tinggi is a reminiscence of Arab Street in the 70s. Rows and rows of shops with little ventilation lined the roads selling materials, scarves, telekung (prayers garb), batik sarungs and ladies wear. The whirring of standing fans try their best to keep you cool but the heat can be unbearable on most days. The shops are mainly owned by the Cambodian Muslims (Kampucheans). The ladies are very fair and some have a peachy complexion. They converse in their own language amongst themselves.

We were directed to a new cafe by a pleasant looking salesgirl. It was quite inviting and its deco was simple. More importantly, it was clean and offered local dishes and western meal. My stomach was growling for meat. I had rib eye steak while mum ordered Mee Goreng Mamak. Hubby had white rice with sour fish and Tini had rice with sotong. Feeling satisfied with the meal and the friendly service, we tipped the waiter generously.

My next stopped was to get some of my blouses altered. I stumbled upon a shop which offered alteration services. The ladies did a fantastic job into giving my tops and blouses a much better fit. I left Kota Tinggi with more baju kurung suits. The price was irresistible - at RM 50 each. Who would not grab at that rock bottom price?