we made some new friends today. twelve to be exact. as soon as we drove up to my uncle's house in malaysia, i could see one of them waiting to find out what was causing the ruckus at the front gates. as it turns out, he was the most shy of the lot. he squirreled his way between some planks of wood and the wall, and stayed there for the better part of setting morning sun. the others took a little bit of warming up, but before long, and with some bribery in hand, they were taking turns licking our hands and biting our toes.

i estimated them at being no more than two months old. they were walking with the newly acquired skills of a toddler who had just found his legs, their forelegs sometimes not catching up to their hind counterparts. a foot-wide drain ran around the perimeter of the house. in order to get to the grass, one has to jump across the drain. with legs so short, it was not uncommon to hear the yelping of puppies in distress! at one point, i found 3 all piled into the drain, which was about a foot deep. with a little bit of patience, they learnt to navigate across with the aid of a wooden plank. before that, though, some took to meditating at the edge, as this little one did. or perhaps he was building up his courage to jump?

tonight xiaogu made her lions' head - a spectacular way of calling meatballs, taiwanese-style. this were deep fried, however, so the difference in taste was just as spectacular. and with the sweet and savory sauce that she thickened and poured lovingly over the heads of the lions, it was a dish to be reckoned with. we all had two ... maybe more, then found no better way to digest than to walk around the local night market. friday nights are the best because the stalls are ten-fold in number and last until at least 11pm at night. not a mean feat since these stalls start at about 4pm. of course, by 8pm, which was the time we reached the market, most of the good selectables are gone. malaysians love to shop! but most of all, they love to bargain. it was not uncommon to see one walking away from a vendor, still hurling insult at the departing person. on the other hand, one could also be sweetly cajoled back to the purchasing table...

i stumbled across the malaysian variation of one of my favorite snacks that i pick up at fujiya. isn't this funny!