THE LUNCH DATE WITH THE COMMITTEE OF THE SCHOOL REUNION EVENT

A lunch date was set with a few ex-students [of SMK Taman Universiti] who were the organizing team of the previous school reunion event. The chosen venue was Ramada Meridin in Kota Iskandar.

[NOTE: The set lunch theme of this month is Indonesian cuisine. So we all had the Gepuk and Penyet Rice].

Then, while we were about to enjoy our meal, there was a heavy downpour. We sat outside the cafe as there dining area was packed with guests attending a seminar. The rain did not dampen our spirit to finish the dishes even though we literally were wet.

Then only the surprise arrived. A birthday cake was brought to the table for someone - ME!

before

after

People still celebrated birthday even after it was two weeks late.  😀

We had to bid our goodbyes at about 2:00 p.m. and most probably we will still be seeing each other again soon. These people had already planned of another activity for next year.

Thanks to the five girls for the surprise, and I really appreciated the kind thought. Thank God, the many people who ate lunch inside the cafe had already gone away somewhere else when they sang the birthday song to me.

ANOTHER LUNCH TREAT FOR MY BIRTHDAY

Someone wanted to treat me lunch for birthday so a lunch was set. The chosen venue was Plaza Pelangi and I suggested we had a sandwich each at Subway.

The place was still empty when we arrived at about 12:30 p.m. but soon the place was crowded with people who came to buy food for lunch.

It was a short meeting as my friend had to go back to work once lunch break was over.

Thanks Mr. Shafiq Jaafar, an ex-colleague of SMK Dato' Jaafar, for the birthday treat and the birthday present as well. Only Allah may repay your kindness.

THE PARCEL THAT ARRIVED ONE DAY EARLIER BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY

  

   9TH OCTOBER 2026    ~ A parcel arrived one day earlier before my birthday and it was from Puan Hazlina Aziz, another friend from UPM TESL Class of 1993 group. Thank God she messaged me to ask whether the package had arrived so I did not have to find out who the sender was on my own.

Thank you, Puan Hazlina. Only Allah may repay your kindness.

THE BIRTHDAY LUNCH AT TEA GARDEN

   10TH OCTOBER 2026    ~ Even though I already informed my gastronomic adventure buddy there was no need any celebration for my birthday, he still insisted that we went out for lunch. Despite the fact that I was still full from the feast at the wedding reception before meeting him [READ HERE], I did not want to let him down. I suggested we just went to Tea Garden Restaurant in Taman Nusantara and hopefully there would be something light for me to eat.

Unfortunately, there were many items on the menu that we wanted to order were not available, like the Portuguese Egg Tarts and Fried Radish Cake.

I opted for Fried Kuew Teow while Mr. Redzuan chose to have Fried Rice.

Thank you Mr. Redzuan for the birthday treat. Birthday or no birthday, the gastronomic adventure must go on.

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.

OF A REUNION DINNER AND A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

    23rd SEPTEMBER 2026    ~ After the first meeting during tea time [READ HERE], we were ready to meet up for a more serious meal. Dinner session took place at Zaituna Restaurant and we had Arabic food this time. 

This time, another UPM TESL [Class of 1993] had already arrived from Ipoh. [She flew all the way to get here].

The last time I was at this restaurant was in March 2024 [READ HERE]. The place was empty when I arrived before 8:15 p.m. but the dining area was filled up after 9:00.

It was at first a reunion dinner but then there was a surprise at the end of it. We had a one day belated celebration for one of the girls. I managed to get the joyous occasion recorded on my phone.

my advanced birthday brownies

This was a rare moment for us to get together - 2 people from Kuala Lumpur/Selangor, 2 from Johor Bahru and 1 from Ipoh. We had to excuse ourselves as it was already past 10:00 p.m. but the ladies had booked an accommodation for a slumber party past midnight. We planned to meet again the next day for lunch before they left Johor Bahru [READ HERE].

ZAATAR RESTAURANT REVISITED FOR A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

My gastronomic adventure partner celebrated his birthday today. He decided to revisit Zataar Restaurant in Puteri Harbour for the Arab food, and I quickly agreed with his choice. We were here the first time last May [READ HERE].

We arrived at the restaurant at about 2:30 p.m. and the seats on the ground floor were mostly occupied. Guess this place was popular among the locals and visitors.

Apple Juice

Maqluba Rice

Lamb Kebab

Kunafa

The food was good and the birthday boy was happy. Wishing Mr. Redzuan a happy and healthy life ahead and may we continue to embark on many more gastronomic adventures after this.

THE LATE LUCH SESSION AND A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION WITH EX-COLLEAGUES

Someone is celebrating his birthday today and initially the idea was to just have coffee with him. We tried to extend the invitation to other friends and we successfully managed to gather six people who used to teach under one roof once upon a time.

The chosen venue: Chamek Kopitiam in Taman Universiti. I was there last week for another reunion session [READ HERE].

Four of us have already retired while the other two are still in service.

We eventually had cakes for dessert so as to celebrate Mr. Azhar's birthday. Too bad, my other friends were too shy to sing the birthday song loudly so I was the one who had to do it solo.

We had to part ways by 5:00 p.m.before the road got congested when people rushed home from work. Thanks to my friends of SMK Taman Universiti and hopefully we can do this again real soon.