MY BIRTHDAY PRESENT ARRIVED EARLIER THIS YEAR

A parcel arrived on my doorstep [there was literally none actually] this afternoon, all the way from Kuala Lumpur. It was my birthday present sent by my UPM TESL Class of 1993 friend, Puan Hanna Sheikh Mokhtar. The present arrived very early but I was not complaining and it was a big one this time.

Thank you to Puan Hanna for her kind thought. May she be abundantly blessed by Allah Almighty and be granted with good health all her life.

THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE: SEARCHING FOR TERRACOTA ARMY IN XI'AN - PART 1

   4TH SEPTEMBER 2026   ~ The visit to Xi'an would not be complete without visiting the Terracota Army. It was one of the wonders of ancient civilization and was one of the items in my bucket list.

The trip to the historical site was not a pleasant walk in the park. The first obstacle was to get through the entrance gate. We already saw a sea of people upon arrival, mostly local Chinese.

The queue was very long and the weather was hot. Nevertheless, the line was moving quite fast. There was security check at the gate, similar to the process at the airport.

After the clearing the security check, we then had to take a ride on a buggy to get to the main complex.

To get to the exhibition areas was already an adventure on its own. And it was not easy to get 28 people in the group to stay together and not be separated.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 2

THE LAST SCHOOL VISIT FOR THE YEAR 2026

Finally, it was the last school visited for the Crime Prevention Campaign organized by Pasukan Kebajikan Kanak-Kanak [Children's Welfare Team] of Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Daerah Johor Bahru [Welfare Department. The lucky school was SMK Pasir Gudang 3.

The talk sessions started at 3:00 p.m. and ended by 5:00 p.m. The first one was delivered by the staff of the Department and the second one by two policeman officers.

The school Principal is actually an old friend, an English teacher who used to mark PMR English Exam Paper together a long time ago.

There will be one more programme next week but it is not going to be done in school.

THE GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE AT CHICKEN RICE SHOP

   27th SEPTEMBER 2026   ~ Someone who was a bit under the weather wanted to get Chicken Rice for dinner. So we drove to Sunway Bigbox Mall, the place where a Chicken Rice Shop was located and would not be crowded even on a weekend.

Chicken Rice

The last time we had Chicken Rice was in a proper restaurant was in Kulai a few months ago, but in a different restaurant [READ HERE].

Chicken #1

Chicken #2

Bean Sprout

Fishball Soup

Everything was alright except the Soup was a bit bland. There was no chicken taste in it, just salty. They should add in more chicken parts in the gravy, or at least more chicken cubes.

Rojak

We had Rojak to complement the lunch set meal for two that we chose.

Pai Tee

The visit to Chicken Rice Shop would not be complete without its Pai Tee, something like Spring Rolls but in a different shape and form.

The gastronomic adventure for the week was done and we now have to think of a place to go for next week.

 

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.