To many of us, seaweed is that slimy green stuff which can get wrapped around your legs as you're trying to wade out of the sea. Here in South East Asia, they've unstuck it from their legs, dried it out a bit, and then packaged it as though it were something people might wish to eat in a non-survival situation.
Seaweed is pretty ubiquitous in the shops around here, while (as previously mentioned) popcorn is almost unheard of. Clearly, this is a sorry state of affairs, but then such is the rich tapestry of life.
The Street Mall next to the bus station has seen it's status diminished as Shatsbury Square has grown. And with a giant shopping mall in late stages of construction just across the road, it will be quite literally in the shadow of another rival before too long. But that doesn't mean that there aren't a few good reasons to pay a visit to the Street Mall.
They probably aren't really crying. In fact, these guys sound quite cheerful as you can hear in the video below.
When I first heard these frogs, my initial thought was that a variety of Malaysian Elk had somehow wandered into a storm drain. Realising that this was nonsensical, I then mused that perhaps cows were smaller here and had chosen the drains as a grazing spot. I'll be honest with you and admit that the natural world is not my field of expertise.
If you live in Cyberjaya for a while, then chances are you are going to have to pay a visit to the Alamanda mall in Putrajaya at some stage. Although future Cyberjaya residents will no doubt have a selection of swanky malls on their doorstop, this is not currently the case. Right now, you must do your grocery shopping in one of the mini markets, or else via Tesco online. There are a decent amount of restaurants to serve the working population, but you won't find clothes or shoe shops anywhere. Likewise, the cinema is a work in progress at time of writing, although if you are reading this from the future you may not be able to envisage a weekend without a visit to the Cyberjaya multiplex. (How is the future anyhow? Are you guys zipping around in hover-cars yet? Seems like we've been waiting forever for those things to get going).
There are plenty of people writing blogs about food and restaurants, so that's not an area I focus on in these pages. However I am happy to make exceptions for special cases, such as the Volcano Shabu Shabu restaurant in Shaftsbury Square.
Now this place is what is known as a 'Steamboat' restaurant, a phrase which was completely unknown to me when I walked in the door. In fact I was quite the bumbling hick on my visit to this particular dining establishment. From the name 'Volcano Shabu Shabu', I got the impression that they served spicy food. Hot like a volcano, see? I have since learned that 'Shabu-Shabu' is a famous Japanese dish featuring thin slices of beef (and various other stuff) boiled in a pot of water. It all makes sense now.
So anyway, we sat down and ordered a shared platter of various meats and fishes. We were slightly surprised to see oven rings built into the table, but assumed it was for heating sauces or some-such. The platter turned up extremely promptly, which is not always a good sign in a restaurant, suggesting that the microwave may have been used in the preparation. Not the case here. I tried a slice of meat, and it was just about frozen solid. I ate it anyway, being pretty hungry. We were discussing sending the whole thing back when the waitress arrived with a couple of pots full of water. She turned on the oven rings and pretty soon they were bubbling away nicely.
The Thean Hou Temple may look like it has been around for a hundred years, but in fact it is a relatively recent addition to the city, having only been completed in 1989. (I noticed that that intro is pretty much identical to the one I used for the Putra Mosque. Apart from demonstrating some pretty lazy writing, it shows you how much Malaysia's growing wealth is evidenced by the buildings which have sprung up in recent decades). Well this is a Chinese temple which incorporates elements of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, which covers most of your Chinese religious requirements under one roof.
Deepavali (also known as 'Diwali' or the 'Festival of Light') is the most important Hindu festival of the year. It celebrates the victory of the powers of light over darkness, and is embraced by the large Indian community in Malaysia as a time of year to visit family and eat good food. The Little India area of Kuala Lumpur is the place to go to sample the atmosphere, as you might expect, and it is located just outside Central Station in KL. There is a large bazaar which is generally held in Brickfields, although this year it relocated to Masjid India. This was because local shop-owners had complained about losing business, due to stall-holders setting up outside their stores. Which is understandable. Either way, you can experience the noise and colour by wandering about either location in the run-up to the Festival. A lot of clothes shopping gets done in the run up to Deepavali too, as tradition states that new clothes should be worn on the day of the feast.
To many of us, seaweed is that slimy green stuff which can get wrapped around your legs as you're trying to wade out of the sea. Here in South East Asia, they've unstuck it from their legs, dried it out a bit, and then packaged it as though it were something people might wish to eat in a non-survival situation. 
