THE DINNER DATE WITH THE HUSBAND AND WIFE [UTM] EX-STUDENTS

   25th June 2026    ~ Mr. Azim Afif and Ms. Anis Zulaikha, and their three children were in town. I taught the husband and wife couple English when they were in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia a long time ago. They were among the few ex-students from university whom I was still keeping in touch up until now.

The last time I had coffee with Mr. Azim Afif was on 1st October last year in Subang Jaya. [READ HERE]

The chosen meeting point: Awiet Bistro Corner located in Taman Setia Indah at about 9:00 p.m. It was very first time having a meal not only in the restaurant, but also in the housing estate area.

Pataya Fried Rice

FOOD REVIEW: The food and drinks were good but I think they were overpriced. Maybe food prices were different once the eating place was branded as a bistro.

Mr. Azim Afif also invited two of his friends whom I had never met before.

Thanks to Mr. Azim Afif for asking me out and hopefully I will be able to meet him again some other time when he is back in Johor Bahru, or when I am im Kuala Lumpur or Penang.

VISITING THE EID EXPOSITION AT UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

   8th FEBRUARY 2026    ~ Someone wanted to visit the exposition held at Padang Kawad [TRANSLATE: Marching Field] at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and see anything interesting to buy there, I didn't really know the exact name of the expo. It was like an event selling mostly clothes specifically for the upcoming Eid celebration.

One would need to spend more time here to get the best piece of Eid attire at the best price.

On one side of the field, there was a long tent which accommodated a number of stalls selling all kinds of food and drinks - something like a food fest.

The number of seats was limited though and it was quite hot and stuffy at about 3:00 p.m.

We both ended up not buying anything. Thanks to Mr. Redzuan for suggesting this place or else I would not even step foot here. At the same time, the walking was good for me to digest the food I had had at the wedding reception earlier in Kulai [READ HERE].

ATTENDING THE WEDDING OF MR. SYAZWAN ANSAR

   27th DECEMBER 2025    ~ It was another ex-student of SMK Taman Universiti holding his wedding reception. Mr. Syazwan Ansar had the event at Kolej Perdana, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Puan Yusidah and her grandson

Puan Rohani Ibrahim in the background

Mr. Hafiz Izuan

Ms. Shazwani Shahlan

Shazwani's parents

As usual, there were a few familiar faces of ex-students whom I met there and only two ex-colleagues.

Congratulations Mr. Syazwan and wife, and may your days be filled with love and happiness throughout.

THE REUNION SESSION WITH MY EX-STUDENT OF UTM

   12TH OCTOBER 2025    ~ An ex-student from my UTM English class informed me that he was in town. A lunch date was immediately set with Mr. Mohd. Amirul who was accompanied by his wife. The chosen venue was Paradigm Mall as he had never been there.

I met Mr. Amirul when he attended the English proficiency class in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia [UTM] way back in 2011 [READ HERE]. We then sometimes met to play Ping Pong at the university's Sports Centre [READ HERE]. The last time we met was when he came to Johor Bahru in November 2018 [READ HERE].

We still get connected on Facebook but only once a year during our birthdays, exchanging well wishes. Yes, we share the same birthday and only today, we managed to celebrate together.

It was a great sit in session in Manzanita Restaurant in the mall to catch up lost time and for me to get to know his other half, Puan Hanis. We had to say our "goodbyes" as they had to drive back to Kuala Lumpur right after. Hope to meet Mr. Amirul [and his wife] again some other time, most probably in KL next time.

A SUPPER DATE WITH A MOUNTAINEER IN SUBANG JAYA

 

   22nd SEPTEMBER 2025    ~ Someone saw my check in post on Facebook and responded promptly. Eventually, a supper date was set  in SS15 Subang Jaya with Mr. Azim Afif, a student I taught English for his proficiency course in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia [UTM] a long time ago. One interesting thing is that his wife also attended the same English class, and the last time we met was when they came visiting during Eid in 2012 when they were still studying [READ HERE].

The chosen venue was a cafe named The Daily Bakery & Patisserie which was just near the hotel where I was staying.

This cafe looked brand new. Luckily the place would only be closed at 10:00 p.m. so we had about 1 hour to chat over coffee, cakes and pastries. The food and drinks were great and we got a 25% discount on the pastries [and cakes too if I am not mistaken] as the cafe was about to close soon.

The conversation was interesting as the topic was totally different this time. Mr. Azim Afif is an active mountaineer and he was one of the 28 Malaysians who had successfully reached the peak of Mt. Everest. After doing that in 2016, he is still actively involved in mountaineering activities and run a company related to that specific extreme activities Peak Journey Adventure.

One hour was definitely not enough to listen to Mr. Azim's extraordinary experience but we had to leave by 10:00 p.m. I had to thank him for allocating his time for me and hopefully we will get to see each other again to continue our chat.

If you are looking for a company to conduct or supervise any climbing or mountaineering activities, do not hesitate to contact Mr. Azim and you can visit his company website MYPEAKJOURNEY.COM.