so it's true. a cat does chase after a rat. down the corridor, a cat with keen eyes, furtive movements, was eyeing that grey long-tailed scavenger. i sat down and watched. so still. both anticipating the other's next move. rat turned its body a little, cat sat up almost immediately. so precise. i whipped out my camera phone. cat eyed both me and that rat. turning its head left to right, right to left, purposefully. it's at times like these that i wish i had a camera with a superpower zoom.
more still moments. until the rat decided to scurry to a pillar. cat ran after it. rat hid. cat stopped. cat planning its next move. cat watched. rat remained very still. cat moved towards the rat, with caution. till at one point, cat and rat looked close enough to each other, that it seemed they almost kissed. now - i thought cat would pounce on rat and do what cats do best - shred. instead, after what seemed like a split second, rat hid further in, cat backed off. i was surprised and oscillating between disappointment and relief.
did i really want to see cat shredding rat or rat cleverly escaping cat? cat went behind the pillar. and then in front of it again. rat ran to a neighbour's door. neighbour opened door. rat scurried down the stairs. in a flash, nimbly, cat followed suit. both stopped in their respective tracks. bidding their time. listening out. ever ready. up, down. down, up. always on the lookout, always on the go. never a moment of rest. i wouldn't want to live a cat's life, even if it has nine, and even less that of a rat. a rat race in a dog-eat-dog world is no fun, and never mind the cat. as fascinating as it was, watching the chase, no, i don't really want to see a dog eating another dog in real life.
"adding those little red chillis will make it very spicy" my gran was saying, as i was getting ready to tug into this special bowl of curry with rice meal. clear curry soup that is moderately spicy and cooked with no coconut. it's different. it's unique. it's one of a kind - my gran's kind :) curry in tom yam style.
when asked about the mandarin translation, gran thought for a while and managed to convey these meanings - 'huay' means flower and 'ji' means fry. however, she doesn't seem too sure and it does boggle me that the hokkien term doesn't seem to match the english term. but the dough does look somewhat like a butterfly. oh well, what matters most is the soft fluffy interior when one bites into the crispy exterior; and my gran's sweet gesture.
