THE HEALING SESSION AT PUNGGAI BEACH IN PENGERANG

   16TH SEPTEMBER 2026    ~ For city people, one of the common places visited for a healing session is at the beach. I just got to know the beach at Amerald Hotel in Pengerang [where we were staying] is called Punggai Beach.

My friend and I went down to the beach at about 5:30 p.m. There was no sun in the sky, but it was still quite warm outside. It must be the haze that originated from Kalimantan, Indonesia.

There were not many people at the beach on Malaysia Day public holiday, as it was only a single day in the middle of the week. That should be something that I would be thankful for as a huge crowd would not contribute to our plan to enjoy peace and tranquility by the seaside.

the view of the hotel from the beach

the seaweed that was washed ashore

Basically we just strolled along the beach, and admired the view, and took as many photos as possible.

As I was lost in my own world, the biggest surprise happened. A lady and her partner approached me, smiling and asked whether I am Cikgu Zainal. She is an ex-student of SMK Taman Universiti who happened to spend her holiday with her husband at the same place.

I got to thank Miss Yasmin Awatief for stopping by to say "hi" to me. I sometimes met my ex-students who had grown into fine young men/women at the most unexpected places. Guess fans are just everywhere.

ZAINIK CAFE REVISITED FOR A LATE LUNCH

   27th SEPTEMBER 2026    ~ The late lunch on Sunday took place at Zainik Cafe, one of the eating places that we always visit in Gelang Patah. One reason: one could get freshly cooked Malay dishes from the kitchen. Even though it was already late, at about 3:00 p.m., there were still many people dining in when we arrived. Perhaps people eat out on Sundays.

Rice

Tom Yum

Chicken Asam Pedas

Fried Cabbage

Omelette

My friend the regular partner of the gastronomic trips was happy with the food, and so was I. There could be possibilities we would be coming back again to this place some other time.

FOOTNOTE: I had dinner [cum a farewell gathering] after that in the evening at a Mamak in the same area as Zainik Cafe, with my Chess teacher friends. [READ HERE]

THE FAREWELL GATHERING OF A CHESS TEACHER FRIEND

Mr. Ariff Alias, a teacher friend of the Johor Bahru Chess Team, called for a gathering this evening at Al-Safa Restaurant in Gelang Patah. The reason: his application to be transferred back to Terengganu was approved.

This was my first time at this Mamak restaurant. The eating area was huge especially the open area which was supposed to be parking spaces for vehicles but were filled with tables and chairs.

Mr. Ariff will still be here until December so there might be a possibility that another gathering will be called after this. We chess teachers just love to party once in a while.

EXPLORING THE SOUTH GATE OF XI'AN CITY WALL IN THE EVENING - PART 2

CONTINUATION OF PART ONE

   3RD SEPTEMBER 2026    ~ I noticed that we were at the gate where there were not many activities going on, except for the theatre performance in the centre court. Maybe the activities were restricted because of the show. Once the performance was over, more lights were lit up, and the place became brighter. So we continued taking as many photos as possible at different spots and angles.

You still have to be there to observe and admire the beauty of the City Wall at night. The photos I took did not do justice to the spectacular view of the Chinese architecture.

There was another trip to another gate of the City Wall which was in the itinerary. However, that would happen in the afternoon and the vibe would not be the same with what we had experienced in the evening.