It's Christmas!

christmas log cake

gingerbread man 

 indian meal - banana leaf rice

 fried snacks - myanmarese

dinner - myanmar dish of pork and pork and pork

colored drinking straws - craft star of Bethlehem

It was  time for Class Christmas Party again - how one year flew by!.

As usual prior to this party ie. a day earlier, the teachers and helpers would come together to decorate the class.  I went around to all the nearby shops looking for green and red crepe papers as these are the Christmas colors.  Out of stock!  Everyone in town having the same idea?  Thought of using red and green cloth to substitute and decided to drive to Mid Valley Megamall.  The cars were lined up in a long queue waiting to go into the parking lots.  Mega sale?  I thought it was over?  I quickly manouvered myself out of there and gave up shopping instantly.  That traffic would set me back two hours!

Ramsacking the cupboard, i found a bag of colored straws.  Hey, that would make good craft, I thought.  Cut 4 different colored straws into half.  Stapled in the centre after  forming to star shape.  Used a different colored straw and inserted into one of the stapled straw to form a handle.  Presto! A rainbow colored star of Bethlehem.  The children were delighted!.  The pastor's message  - just as God put the Star of Bethlehem in the sky to lead magi to baby Jesus that first Christmas, God will give the star of direction for us in 2011.  God with us!

One mother brought in a lovely Christmas cake - may God bless her for her generosity.  Since one of the teacher's birthday is round the corner, I decided to kill two birds with one stone - a birthday song for Jesus and one for the teacher.  The lighter only gave sparks and no candles were available did not damper the spirit. Another mom painstakingly baked gingerbread cookies.  They were so cute!  God, thank you for all the  moms/dads who gave so generously.

Hub invited a family to attend the Christmas church service.  It was their first time to our church.  After service, we proceeded to a nearby Indian restaurant for lunch.  I like to come here as parking is convenient.  Decided to have the banana leaf rice which was basically rice served on a piece of banana leaf.  The waiter scooped three different type of veggies (differs from restaurant to restaurant subject to whims of the chef).  My favourite ie. fried bitter gourd appeared.  Yippee!  I liked my rice to be drenched with fish, chicken and dhal curry.  When one can't make up the mind on which is the best curry, it is better to have all - solved the problem!

 After lunch, we left for our friend's home.  She served homemade fruit cakes baked in her own homeland.    Seems that it was customary for them to bring their goodies to the local baker as their small oven could not cater  for the many loaves they made.  Paired with a good coffee, our lunch ended on a sweet note.  Hub and I then rushed off to join some Myanmarese for their Christmas celebration.  Some of them were fortunate to be off work earlier to attend the Christmas service.  Others could not get leave and they celebrated later in the night.

Dinner was 'Chin' (a subgroup of Myanmar people) food. The pork was in large chunks coated with ginger.  There were pigs' tongues and hearts too.  It was a first time for me eating pig's heart.  I felt ill.  Probably my own heart would stop!  Salad comprised of  thin slices of tomatoes with cabbage, vinegar and seasonings .  The soup was sour, cooked to their taste buds.  The aroma smelled foreignly strange to my nose.  What was remarkable was that a family had done the mega cooking in a small apartment's kitchen.  (Local caterers would not know how to cook the Myanmar cuisine, thus this mega effort).  By the time the celebration ended, I and hub went to have supper at Restaurant KK in Kuchai Lama.  Our friend pointed out some stalls that sell Myanmar food.  We tried below - fried fritters.  The dark brown piece is mashed yam.  The yellow piece was made of mung bean.  Other pieces were basically fried cauliflowers and crackers with few prawns on top.  All in all, it reminded me much of the our Malaysian local food ie. lobak.



By midnight, when we reached home, we were truly exhausted.  Nevertheless, it was fun embracing two different culture's food into our Christmas celebration.

On Boxing Day, we took a train to Bukit Bintang from Brickfields to avoid traffic jam downtown.   It was around 3.30pm.  We put in some coins to the parking meter and as the pay for park cut off time is 6pm, our coins brought the meter to 7.30am.  We cancel the  input and tried again.  Still reached the same time.   Next to us was a car fined for exceeding time.  Hmmm.....the traffic police do come around here.  Things at Sungei Wang were cheap.  Tempted to buy.  Refused to succumb.  In the end, went home with just a middle eastern bread bought at a shop selling all kinds of middle eastern food.  The shop is just next to Maybank.  Toasted the bread and dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Yummy!

Could it be age that is catching up?  I just want to have a quiet Christmas.   - I just want to be still.  Devoid of all the Christmas trappings - gliiter, gifts, parties.  Just a cup of coffee and a few slice of tea loaf.  A meal with friends.  Only stuff that really matters - friends, relationships, God.  Just as the star of Bethlehem led the wise men to baby Jesus, I am coming along that journey .... to search and to find rest.

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark street shineth the everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight!

Blessed Christmas & Blessed New Year!