[::.."MONEYMATTERS" @HJH. MAIMUNAH..::]
All you can eat at $11.50 per head. Affordable? YES. Cheap? MAYBE. Worth it? I DON”T THINK SO. With all the promises you can find in the two-page menu, you’ll probably eat only half the page. I don’t care much about what I eat nowadays. Give me nothing and I’ll eat nothing. Give me a Coke with a Marlboro and I say THANK GOD. Gluttony being one of the seven sin, I don’t live to eat but simply eat to live.
With money to spend and stomach to eat, Ziehan and Mariam were women on a mission. Flanked by these two lovelies, no man could have been more decorated than me. We all planned our trip by the simple rule – He who has a ‘why’ can endure any ‘how’. On a Ramadhan evening at Geylang, amidst the swelling throng of human traffic, the idea was to eat anywhere at anyhow. But somewhere along the route across Joo Chiat Complex, “HJH. MAIMUNAH” beckoned. Ziehan and Mariam were salivating on the ‘lemak pucuk ubi’ and the ‘siput sedut.’ By then, I couldn’t do anything much. Here’s to the two women! Would that I could fall into their arms without falling into their hands.
From one of anything to all of everything that money can buy, her buffet spread promised a ‘roti kirai’ that I did not see, a ‘kueh lapis’ that I did not get to taste and a ‘bubor kacang’ that I ended up giving to one pathetic looking Mak Cik whose sole purpose there was to stare me in the face like I’m her late husband - reincarnated. Not that the $11.50 per head matters much to me. I don’t care too much for the money. It’s better to spend money like there’s no tomorrow than to spend tonight like there’s no money. But if you equate the $11.50 into simple fraction, however average a layperson this “HJH. MAIMUNAH” may be, her grasp of high finance consists of knowing the right recipes to navigate through the stomachs of the ‘Hungry Ghosts.”
Figure this out – A table for 3 @HJH. MAIMUNAH costs us a grand total of $35.00 (GST inclusive but drinks sold separately). At $11.50 per head, Ziehan would eat all that she could, and Mariam could eat all that she would. I would only eat what I could; but what I couldn’t, I wouldn’t. I am not as good a ‘coulder’ as Ziehan could, nor a better ‘woulder’ as Mariam would. But for the money that was paid, and all that we could eat between us, we were only eating the same things 3 times over; and over the same things - 3 times over. This equation however works better on bigger multiples. Meaning to say that if Ali walks in with Abu, Ah Seng, Muthu, John, Ah Kow, Ah Lian, Ah Beng, Din and Mainah, they would have to pay between them a total of $120.75 (GST inclusive but drinks still sold separately). And for this amount of money and all that they could eat between them; just like us, they would be eating the same things ONLY 10 times over; and over the same things - 10 times over. GET IT?? GET IT???
@HJH. MAIMUNAH, the festival of the hungry ghosts may have started at least forty-five minutes before the break of dusk. There goes a saying “An early bird catches the worms.” By the time we were there, they beat us to almost everything. There was no ‘roti kirai’, no ‘kueh lapis’ and of course no worms also by then. As a matter of value-for- money, whatever that these early birds could lay their hands on, to feed through their mouths for the satisfaction of their stomachs, they rush for the kill. Before the break of dusk, even the tissue papers seem delectable. It’s ironic to see how they practice enough faith to protect themselves against all sins for the day, only to liberate the moment of their victories with lustful indulgence.
Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Amidst the throngs of all its madness, I was there with only Ziehan and Mariam to cater to; and to provide for. The first trip may have been quite extravagant; but generosity is all about giving more than you can-to those that you care, and pride is taking less than you need. Maybe next time we’ll eat @SALMAH MANAP and buy my baju kurung @HJH. MAIMUNAH.
My Damage Report:-
Transportation (To/Fro): $50.00 (comes with free Nokia handphone)
HJH. MAIMUNAH 35.00 (GST inclusive but drinks sold separately)
Murtabak 10.00 (F**k the Mak Cik that cuts Zie’s queue)
SALMAH MANAP 100.00 (butang not included)
Vadeh 5.00 (Red Hot Chilli Pepper inclusive)
Carpet 250.00 (good to look at and nice to step on)
K800i plastic cover FREE (STOLEN)
GRAND TOTAL: $HAPPINE$$.00
With money to spend and stomach to eat, Ziehan and Mariam were women on a mission. Flanked by these two lovelies, no man could have been more decorated than me. We all planned our trip by the simple rule – He who has a ‘why’ can endure any ‘how’. On a Ramadhan evening at Geylang, amidst the swelling throng of human traffic, the idea was to eat anywhere at anyhow. But somewhere along the route across Joo Chiat Complex, “HJH. MAIMUNAH” beckoned. Ziehan and Mariam were salivating on the ‘lemak pucuk ubi’ and the ‘siput sedut.’ By then, I couldn’t do anything much. Here’s to the two women! Would that I could fall into their arms without falling into their hands.
From one of anything to all of everything that money can buy, her buffet spread promised a ‘roti kirai’ that I did not see, a ‘kueh lapis’ that I did not get to taste and a ‘bubor kacang’ that I ended up giving to one pathetic looking Mak Cik whose sole purpose there was to stare me in the face like I’m her late husband - reincarnated. Not that the $11.50 per head matters much to me. I don’t care too much for the money. It’s better to spend money like there’s no tomorrow than to spend tonight like there’s no money. But if you equate the $11.50 into simple fraction, however average a layperson this “HJH. MAIMUNAH” may be, her grasp of high finance consists of knowing the right recipes to navigate through the stomachs of the ‘Hungry Ghosts.”
Figure this out – A table for 3 @HJH. MAIMUNAH costs us a grand total of $35.00 (GST inclusive but drinks sold separately). At $11.50 per head, Ziehan would eat all that she could, and Mariam could eat all that she would. I would only eat what I could; but what I couldn’t, I wouldn’t. I am not as good a ‘coulder’ as Ziehan could, nor a better ‘woulder’ as Mariam would. But for the money that was paid, and all that we could eat between us, we were only eating the same things 3 times over; and over the same things - 3 times over. This equation however works better on bigger multiples. Meaning to say that if Ali walks in with Abu, Ah Seng, Muthu, John, Ah Kow, Ah Lian, Ah Beng, Din and Mainah, they would have to pay between them a total of $120.75 (GST inclusive but drinks still sold separately). And for this amount of money and all that they could eat between them; just like us, they would be eating the same things ONLY 10 times over; and over the same things - 10 times over. GET IT?? GET IT???
@HJH. MAIMUNAH, the festival of the hungry ghosts may have started at least forty-five minutes before the break of dusk. There goes a saying “An early bird catches the worms.” By the time we were there, they beat us to almost everything. There was no ‘roti kirai’, no ‘kueh lapis’ and of course no worms also by then. As a matter of value-for- money, whatever that these early birds could lay their hands on, to feed through their mouths for the satisfaction of their stomachs, they rush for the kill. Before the break of dusk, even the tissue papers seem delectable. It’s ironic to see how they practice enough faith to protect themselves against all sins for the day, only to liberate the moment of their victories with lustful indulgence.
Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Amidst the throngs of all its madness, I was there with only Ziehan and Mariam to cater to; and to provide for. The first trip may have been quite extravagant; but generosity is all about giving more than you can-to those that you care, and pride is taking less than you need. Maybe next time we’ll eat @SALMAH MANAP and buy my baju kurung @HJH. MAIMUNAH.
My Damage Report:-
Transportation (To/Fro): $50.00 (comes with free Nokia handphone)
HJH. MAIMUNAH 35.00 (GST inclusive but drinks sold separately)
Murtabak 10.00 (F**k the Mak Cik that cuts Zie’s queue)
SALMAH MANAP 100.00 (butang not included)
Vadeh 5.00 (Red Hot Chilli Pepper inclusive)
Carpet 250.00 (good to look at and nice to step on)
K800i plastic cover FREE (STOLEN)
GRAND TOTAL: $HAPPINE$$.00
All Work and No Play Will Make Jazz A Dull Boy - 2:41:00 AM