5th JUNE - KOTA BHARU SECOND DAY [PART 2]

After spending the afternoon walking on some streets in Kota Bharu town (or is it city?) it was time to attend another wedding invitation of another colleague in Bunut Susu, Pasir Mas. After taking a bus to Pasir Mas (where we encountered a nightmarish experience of some sort), we waited for Mr. Hisham and his wife to pick us up at Pasir Mas bus station and then went to see Mr. Hasmidi at his house.

It was a much simpler event if compared to what we have in Johor but Mr. Hasmidi was a bit taken aback to see me coming from far to be at his wedding.

Shamsul in deep thought before taking the rice?

The only place we went to after that was the KB Mall, which was just across the street in front of the hotel entrance. Not knowing what to eat for dinner, we opted for Buhara Rice with Chicken which I believed originated from middle east. It was a wise choice, the rice was delicious and you got a chicken patty which was served with cheese. It was a happy meal and we ended the day with a happy note. Two more days to go...

5th JUNE - KOTA BHARU SECOND DAY [PART 1]

This time I had a friend cum ex-student, Mr. Shamsul Nahar, who was here in Kota Bharu so the exploration was more fun as there was someone who could snap pictures for you. From the hotel, as early as 9:30, we walked to the city centre which took about 30 minutes and started to look for places of interest that had been mentioned in the websites. I did my homework first before going places.

snake show somewhere near the market place

The first stop was Muzium Batu (translate: Brick Museum). The building housed some of the properties that belonged to the Kelantanese royalty.






The second museum which was situated nearby was Istana Jahar (Jahar Palace). This museum focused more on the ceremonies or rituals that were carried out in the palace like "melenggang perut" (welcoming the baby of a pregnant woman) and circumcision.









And the last museum of the day was the War Museum. This building was originally the first bank operating in Kelantan and hence the name, Bank Kerapu.

Kelantan was significant as it was here that the Japanese army first landed on its beach in their mission to intrude Tanah Melayu (or Malaya) on 8th December 1941, which marked the involvement of Malaya in the Second World War. As the name suggests, the museum told the stories of war, until Malaya achieved independence.




After the second day, I had already felt like a learned man. But there were more museums to visit the next day.

in front of another important site in the city, but not for public entry though.

to be continued...

4th JUNE - KOTA BHARU FIRST DAY

I finally arrived at Mr. Hisham's house in Tok Uban, Pasir Mas, at 5:30 p.m. which was considered late but there were still many people arriving and eating so I guess it was alright. I could not spend too much time there as I needed to check in at the hotel. Considering the fact that the bride and bridegroom could be very tired after the event, even though I insisted Mr. Hisham just to send me to the nearest bus station so I could get to Kota Bharu on my own, he still sent me all the way to the hotel doorsteps.

We managed to stop on the way to the hotel at a restaurant by the roadside. The specialties were nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk) with fried quail, and pulut mangga and durian (mango and durian with fragrant rice in coconut milk and sugar). I was still full at that time so I just packed the nasi lemak and it became my breakfast the next morning.

So thanks again to Mr. Hisham and Puan Nurhafizah for their warm welcome and wish them the happiness in their lives today and the days to come.

BLOGGING FROM KOTA BHARU, KELANTAN.

the chaotic scenery at Larkin bus station of people waiting for their buses to come

This was a long trip actually. Started the trip at 12:30 a.m. with an express bus and arrived in Kuala Terengganu at 9:00 a.m. After that, continued with another bus trip at 12:00 p.m. and reached Kota Bharu at 4:00 p.m. (The direct ticket to Kota Bharu from JB had sold out and that was the reason for the divert to Kuala Terengganu.) Took a taxi to Pasir Mas (an illegal one) and in the middle of the journey, the car slammed into the back of a car stopping at a traffic light. The driver managed to swerve and hit the side of the car real bad, and that was scary alright as I was sitting in front beside the driver. Luckily managed to continue until I reached the Pasir Mas taxi station and met an ex-student, Mr. Samsulnahar. Took another taxi to Tok Uban and arrived there at 5:30 p.m. to attend a wedding of colleagues, Mr. Hisham and Puan Norhafizah.

I am now at Tune Hotel in Kota Bharu but too bad I cannot upload photos from the internet kiosk here. Maybe later will do. I will have a few days to explore Kota Bharu and until then, happy holidays everybody.

MOVIE REVIEW 28 - "PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN"

I finally met Jack Sparrow. I wonder why was I not excited about this "Pirates" movie before?

Imagine once when you went fishing at sea, as you pulled your fishing net up the ship, there was a man caught in it. Expecting the man just to be a piece of dead meat, he suddenly opened his eyes right in front of your face and so the excitement started from the very first scene right until the end. How would I describe the movie in four words? Action movie old school, from a positive point of view. And I am sure you will all fall in love with the mermaids. But long live, Jack Sparrow. He should be given the Academy Award.

Go and watch this one (and Kungfu Panda too) and your holidays will not be a boring one.

OUTING DAY WITH ALIFF AND ARIFF

It is not easy to get this thing done. However, since it is now the school break and both Aliff and Ariff are still around, better not procrastinate. So what did we do on our outing day?

1. Eating a light lunch at McDonald's

2. Meeting another friend, Jack Sparrow, at the theatre.

3. Hanging out at Plaza Kota Raya.

4. Eating early dinner at Kebayan.

That was all. It sounded too simple to many but it was definitely an enjoyable one. Hope we can do this again when you come back home for your short break. Thanks a lot to Aliff and Ariff for spending their time together.

THANKING THOSE KIND-HEARTED PEOPLE

I only have the time to do this two weeks after the real event. It was not an easy task to tell you the truth, :) but I just have to do this, to thank those kind-hearted people.

Truth or Dare: Does it really matter whether your students give you, as a teacher, presents on Teachers' Day? YES, IT DOES. I am not saying that I will feel disappointed if I do not get presents on Teachers' Day but just imagine how would it feel like when your other friends keep receiving presents and you get none.

Thank you to my beloved students, I have never experienced the feelings of being neglected, forgotten and unappreciated. I am blessed to have students who have been trained with the art of giving and appreciating at such young age. I guess this is the value that we need to implement in our society so as to show that as human beings we do care and love others, and at times we have to demonstrate how we feel inside.

So thanks to everyone AGAIN for all the lovely presents on Teachers' Day. I must confess I have not opened them yet because I really need the time to sit down, and opened the wrappers one by one. I just need that moment to cherish and celebrate my life as a teacher.

It isn't the size of the gifts that matters,
but the size of the heart that gives it.
~Eileen Elias Freeman~
"The Angels' Little Instructions Book"