THE COFFEE SESSION WITH THREE YOUNG MEN

    19TH JANUARY 2026    ~ A coffee session was set with three young men who are my ex-students of SMK Taman Universiti. The chosen venue this time was Assalam, a rebranded Mamak restaurant located in Gelang Patah area.

MINE: cinnamon banana toast

There should be more people in the Coffee Club but it would always be impossible to expect everybody to be present as they had other valid reasons for not being able to make it.

The meeting that started at about 9:00 p.m. was adjourned at 11:45 p.m. because the staff had to do the shop closing already. Thank you to Mr. Ahmad Firdaus, Mr. Nor Azlan and Mr. Nur Fairuz for the short gathering. I am not sure when we will be seeing each other again, but it would happen sooner or later for sure.

A SHORT STOP AT AL BUSYRA MOSQUE IN MERBOK, KEDAH

   11th JANUARY 2026    ~ After performing the Zuhur prayer at a mosque in Kepala Batas, Alor Setar [READ HERE], we stopped again for Asar prayer. This time it was at Al Busyra Mosque in Merbuk, on the way back from Tanjung Dawai [READ HERE].

This was another modern mosque with unique architecture. One important thing, the place was well taken care of.

The mosque complex was quite huge actually. There were other facilities like a mini mart and food stalls. There was also a hotel in the mosque compound.

This was my first stop at this mosque. I had been passing by three times before and finally managed to visit the holy building. There is a possibility for me to set foot at this place again if I am invited to another wedding reception in Sungai Petani or Kepala Batas area.

"HAJJAH SITI HASIL LAUT" REVISITED

   11th JANUARY 2026    ~ After the wedding reception in Jitra [READ HERE], before sending me back to my hotel in Sungai Petani town, Mr. Fakhrul and Puan Suhana, made another pit stop at Tanjung Dawai. This time, it was to accomplish the mission of buying a specific seafood product product from Hajjah Siti, i.e. dried shrimps.

I was at this very place, also with two other TESL friends and their husbands, in October last year. [READ HERE]

This time, there were not many people in the shop, most probably it was already late in the afternoon on a Sunday.

I got what I wanted to bring back home and was ready to get back, but there were still two other short stops yet to be made on the way.

THE BUFFET LUNCH SESSION AT ST. GILES HOTEL

   17th JANUARY 2026    ~ This was my very first buffet lunch/hi-tea session for the year 2026. It took place at Causeway Cafe in St. Giles Hotel, Johor Bahru. This had been made possible because of the invitation from Puan Ema Razirin, an ex-student of SMK Taman Universiti.

 

My friend and I were there at about 2:00 p.m. as finding a parking spot in the mall which is attached to the hotel was extremely challenging, as it was a weekend. We spent quite sometime, going round and round, until we found an empty space.

It was my first time at the hotel cafe. The dining area was spacious and there were not too many people when we arrived, or perhaps people had had their lunch already.

ST

There was a vast array of food served on the buffet counters and stalls, and we were spoilt for choice. Within one hour, it was impossible to eat all the food [we were not heavy eaters, by the way] but we still managed to choose all the delicious dishes that were offered.

There was also a clown to entertain the young ones in the hall.

My regular gastronomic adventurer, Mr. Ridzuan, and I were impressed with variety of food as well as the taste. Persomally, I would love to come back again to this place and enjoy the feast.

I got to thank Puan Ema Razirin again for her kind gesture. Please do not hesitate to invite me again if there is the opportunity. 😀