SPOT THE ERROR 95

found at the hotel lobby

HOTEL REVIEW: CLASSIC HOTEL MUAR

This is the hotel where I stayed for two nights in Muar. It seems to be the best accommodation in town so far and the price is quite reasonable. At RM148 a night, I managed to get a spacious standard room with a bathtub and complimentary morning newspaper but no breakfast though.

One of the best features of this place is that it is attached to a modern shopping complex called Wetex. Other than that, it is located in the town centre so you could just walk around to explore and find eating places. Highly recommended if you are thinking of finding a place in Muar.

MY MUAR GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - SAI KEE 434 COFFEE SHOP

24TH OCTOBER 2016 ~ After the briefing session of the day had ended, we decided to have a coffee at this well-known coffee shop in Muar. The place is situated right opposite the Muar express bus station. 

The people in Muar had started consuming Sai Kee 434 Coffee as early as in 1953. The present coffee shop not only serves coffee and toasts, but also other Malay food like "mee rebus", "nasi lemak" and "mee bandung", and a variety of local dishes and western food as well.

The shop also exhibits some antique items from the past and a collection of tea pots, cups and saucers.

Visitors could buy coffee powder from the shelves and also other food items.

This should be a good place for coffee lovers to hang out but I don't think people could stay for too long. There was a constant flow of people coming in and out when we were there.

VISIT KAI SEE 434 COFFEE WEBSITE HERE

MY MUAR GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - MUAR SOUP HOUSE

23 October 2016 ~ So 15 of us - all English teachers from Johor Bahru (13), Pasir Gudang (1) and Kluang (1), were here for dinner as we were told this place was one of the popular eating spots in Muar. Basically this restaurant is another mamak (I heard "mamak" is now included already in the Oxford English Dictionary) where you could eat all kinds of food, including western. I was here an hour earlier actually with another set of friends, eating chicken "murtabak".

We were lucky to secure a place in the air-conditioned section of the shop. That evening, we owned the place and the minority had to give way this time. The restaurant was established back in 1958 and it has maintained its classic decor for the interior.

So was there any special food which could be a signature dish for this place? I don't know really, it could be the variety of soups sold hence the name "Muar Soup House". But people were telling that the Sultan of Johor came here to eat so that could be one reason that had made this place famous. :)

KILLING TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE IN MUAR

When I had to go other places for courses, I would always try to meet old friends. On the first day in Muar, I had the chance to meet up with two ex-classmates from my Budiman class of SMS Muar. Puan Halijah Othman, who is now teaching in SMKSAB and Puan Rozana Ab. Manap, a lecturer at Johor Matriculation College, accompanied by their husbands, gathered at Muar Soup House in the evening. I had never had the chance to meet Puan Rozana after we left school in 1986 so this was like a reconciliation between two long lost friends, but we do have conversation sessions in the class Whatsapp group when we managed to get in touch with a few other people. As for Puan Halijah, we last met in 2011 when there was a class gathering at Subang Jaya.

Then on the second day, I met Puan Harizan Mahfar, an old friend of my UPM TESL class of 1993, who is a true blue Muarian and is also teaching there.  I had to get the well-known Mee Bandung of Muar at a stall near the bus stand by the Muar river. 

So I guess my KPI has been achieved during my stay in Muar. One of the best things in life will definitely be the combination of friends, gossip and good food.

A FAREWELL GATHERING FOR THE RETIRING PUAN MARINA ABDULLAH

A farewell gathering was held at SMK Taman Universiti to bid farewell to Puan Marina Abdullah who will be retiring really soon. Puan Marina has chosen to opt out earlier from the teaching profession, and many friends seem to have decided to do the same thing.

The angklung group was invited to perform during the event. The boys were very happy to have the chance to play a few songs for Puan Marina before she leaves the school.

I am sure Puan Marina will have all the time to enjoy doing all the things that she have missed doing all this while and I hope to see her again some other time in the future.