THE 4th DAY OF EID 1439H

An ex-schoolmate of SMS Muar, Mr. Mohd. Razib Noordin, was here with his family for the "Raya" visit. I could not remember the last time he came with the wife and kids during Eid. He is on his holiday but will be heading back to Doha real soon.

Then, another group of visitors which was my cousin's family, all the way from Kulim, Kedah, were here without any prior notification. It was a kind of pleasant surprise to get to see relatives who are staying at a faraway place once in a while.

Finally, I did my first Raya visit today. I went to see an ex-coursemate of UPM TESL class of 1993 at her house in Taman Sri Amar, which was just near my place quite late in the evening. Puan Suhana Abdul Jamal was here to celebrate Eid with her mom as she now resides in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

The fourth day of Eid went well so far. There are still like 26 more days to go.

ATTENDING THE WEDDING RECEPTION OF DR. AZATY HAMZAH AND MR. AZUAN

On the third day of Eid, I attended the wedding reception of Dr. Azaty Hamzah (SMKTUN's alumni SPM batch 2004) and Mr. Azuan. The reception was held at Taman Universiti Sports Complex.

I did not actually teach Azaty but she was in the school's chess team in form 2 and form 3, before leaving for a boarding school in form 4. She is now attached to Sultan Ibrahim Hospital, Kulai.

the bride's classmates

Dr. Azzad, the brother of the bride

Congratulations Dr. Azaty and Mr. Azuan. May the years ahead be filled with lasting joy.

THE 2ND DAY OF EID 1439H

The regular visitors, Dr. Hayati Ismail and family members, were here for the Eid visit again. The kids have already grown older and bigger, and I was glad to see them develop into fine young men and one sweet little lady. The parents sure have fed them well. :)

Dr. Hayati, an ex-coursemate of UPM TESL class of 1993, is now attached with USIM (Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia), and no longer with PADU.

Hope to see them again for many more Eid to come.

CELEBRATING THE EID UL-FITR FOR THE YEAR 1439 HIJRI

my very first money packet,
which could also be the only one

The Eid Ul-Fitri for the Hijri Year 1439 is finally here. One reason the day is important because Muslims are celebrating their success in completing the fasting ritual for a month. As for Malaysian Muslims, we are celebrating for one whole month (and sometimes might exceed the 30-day limit).

So be ready to see the people I am going to meet, some of them once in a year or even much longer than that. There will be a lot of eating and chatting for sure so I have to be strong to endure the entire month. Please God give me strength.

BREAKING FAST AT GRAND PARAGON HOTEL, JOHOR BAHRU

Once in a blue moon, I would get an offer or invitation of doing something I would not do if I were to spend my own money. Because of someone's generosity (or two people actually), I had the chance to break fast buffet style at Grand Paragon Hotel, Johor Bahru.

I was among the early birds to arrive at Para Para Restaurant, so I had the freedom to take photos before the crowd started to swarm around the food.

great, great temptation!

There was a wide variety of food offered but the most exciting fact was that there were many stalls serving hot food to the visitors.

my regular partner in crime

those were all my plates of food, honestly no more.

I had to remind myself not to eat too much as I had decided to rush to the nearest mosque right after. Everything was good and I had already put on more unnecessary weight towards the end of the fasting month. All the diet plan must have now gone down the drain. This must be the evil deed of Puan Mazzelina Mahmood but I would have to thank her for her kind gesture and I could for once break fast like a king. 

We still have not gone for our hi-tea PLC gathering as stated in our group's strategic planning so hope that could be carried out real soon.

HOTEL REVIEW: ARMENIAN SUITE ON ARMENIAN STREET, GEORGETOWN

This was the hotel I stayed in from 23-25th March 2018 during my visit to Georgetown, Penang. The accommodation was selected based on the online reviews I read on the internet and I guess I had made a good choice. 

From outside the hotel looked like just like a shop house which has been renovated for lodging. However, wait until you step inside and I am sure you will be impressed. Not only that, the room is also clean and well-looked after.

The building is located in the heart of Penang Heritage Sites and you could simply walk to many places of interest. It is also strategically places near the bus and ferry terminal which is just a walking distance away. Restaurants are in abundance around the area so you need not worry of getting hungry at all time.

This place is highly recommended and I will not hesitate to stay here again if I am back in Penang one more time.