THE COFFEE SESSION WITH AN OLD FRIEND FROM THE JB CHESS TEAM

Mr. Iskandar Al-Mahdi had his appointment at Sultanah Hospital in the afternoon and that should be the best time to set a coffee date with him. I used to be with the Johor Bahru Chess Team when I was still in the teaching service so we could meet more often.

The chosen venue was Glora Jean's Coffees in Nong Chik area. The meeting was a brilliant one as it could be possible for us to conduct chess classes for young children after this, That however was still in the planning stage and we needed more time to make it happen.

Thanks to Mr. Iskandar for his time. That was also the activity for the last day of school for him and the 12-day school break starts tomorrow.

BREAKFAST SESSION ON THE LAST DAY IN MERSING

    10th AUGUST 2023     ~ The hunt for a good Nasi Dagang for breakfast continued on third day in Mersing. This time, the group got bigger as friends from PPD Pasir Gudang joined in.

I am not really sure of the exact name of the eating place we went to. There was, however, a big sign board outside which displayed the owner's name as Azizah binti Agil. I worked harder and searched the place on Google Map and found that it was called Kedai Riadah Petang Warung Kak Zah. That is a mouthful name for an eating shop.

There were also other kinds of food that you could choose for breakfast apart from the popular Nasi Dagang.

There was also a stall selling Roti Canai/Pratha inside. You sure had more choices here.

I found the Nasi Dagang here tasted much better than the one I had the day before, but that was just my personal opinion. [READ HERE]

This should conclude my gastronomic adventure with my friends of the Johor Bahru [and Pasir Gudang] Chess Team this year in Mersing. The group photo by the sea would be essential. Even though this could be my last time with them officially, hopefully I will still be invited to be with the team for the competition in many more years to come.

THE DINNER THAT HAPPENED AT SATAY TELUK MAHKOTA IN MERSING

   9th AUGUST 2023    ~ The group's gastronomic adventure of the evening was carried out at Satay Teluk Mahkota. It was customary for all the teachers of the Johor Bahru Chess Team teacher to have dinner together on the second day of the stay during the 3-day competition.

The main attraction of the place was of course the satay [barbecued marinated meat skewed through coconut sticks]. There were varieties of meat available: beef, mutton, chicken, rabbit and even venison. There was also other food available if you think you wanted to eat something else. The satay was something that I would be coming back for if I were to go there again.

I was given a present during dinner, something like an early retirement gift. Initially this should be some kind of pre-retirement farewell dinner [for me] but it didn't look or feel like one.

We actually went to the beach after dinner, just to see the nearby chalets/homestays. The place was actually too dark and not much we could do there but still, we felt like teenagers going on a school trip.

Someone wanted to experiment with his [new/expensive] phone taking photos in the pitch dark night by the beach. The young at hearts were we. *sigh*

DINNER AT DE'SEMAK IN MERSING

    8TH AUGUST 2023     ~ Our first dinner with friends of the JB Chess Team in Mersing was taken at a place called De`Semak, located by the beach. The reason: we had no idea where else to go. Initially we wanted to go to another eating place just beside this one but it was already full by the time we arrived. There seemed to be many people eating out that evening, and there were still many people here.

    It was the ordinary dinner and almost everyone  ordered Fried Rice. There was actually an open air eating area but we did not see that. Most probably we were already too hungry to even look around.

THE 15TH DAY OF EID 1444H

 This should be the first Eid open house I attended this year. The person inviting was Mr. Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman, a teacher I befriended because of chess activities. His new house was located in Taman Saujana, Kota Tinggi - a residential area that I had to pass by on my way home from attending a wedding reception in Bandar Tenggara.

There were also other teacher friends who were involved in chess at his house so I had people to talk to.

Thank Mr. Abdul Aziz for the invitation. Hope to still be invited even after I retire.

AFTER A HARD DAY'S WORK

It was one long day of hard work outside school today. What better way to get a breather before going home than to stop for drinks and some other things.

The venue chosen was Onn Kitchen which was near SMK Mohd Khalid where the District Level Chess Competition was held.

And the group members will have to meet again tomorrow for the second day of the competition.

THE JOHOR BAHRU DISTRICT CHESS TEACHERS VIRTUAL MEETING

14th JUNE 2021 ~ We used to have meetings at KFC Restaurants to discuss chess-related matters. However, living in the time of the pandemic, we have no choice but to practice the new normal. Ten chess teachers of Johor Bahru district were gathered virtually at 9:00 p.m. on Google Meet to discuss the possible online chess activity that could be carried out in the near future. Guess we will all miss the thrill of organizing chess tournaments as well as bringing the students to state level competitions - and the fun time we spent as a team. On the other hand, we are now preparing to conduct an online chess competition real soon and if the first project is a success, then we might be able to get the chess players together again.

Do wait for the announcement/advertisement!

 

AN ACCIDENTAL BREAKFAST SESSION AT PASAR KAMPUNG MELAYU

23rd DECEMBER 2020 ~ I was at Kampung Melayu Market to get some vegetables, newspapers and food for breakfast to bring home. And I bumped into Mr. Ahdat, a teacher friend who is a member of Johor Bahru Chess Team. So I asked him to have breakfast together with me and he, without any hesitation, agreed.

It was a short breakfast session of Roti Canai [paratha] and Teh Tarik [milk tea] but it was worth the time. It is quite difficult to get the chance to eat out with friends these days, especially during the school holiday which has already started.

our other breakfast companion

JOHOR BAHRU TEAM AT STATE LEVEL CHESS COMPETITION 2019 AT SUNGAI MATI, MUAR

A BRIEF REPORT FOR JOHOR BAHRU TEAM
STATE LEVEL CHESS COMPETITION 2019

DATE: 11th-13th JULY 2019

VENUE: SM AGAMA LUGHATUL GUR'AN, SUNGAI MATI, MUAR

DAY 1: THURSDAY 11th JULY 2019

arriving

the first round of the game was about to start

the front facade of the school

at the homestay

DAY 2: FRIDAY, 12th JULY 2019

selling souvenirs

DAY 3: SATURDAY, 13th JULY, 2019

under 12 boys team

under 15 boys team

under 18 boys team

under 12 girls team

under 15 girls team

under 18 girls team

teachers of Johor Bahru team

closing ceremony

RESULT:

Johor Bahru team emerged as the first runner up of the competition.

Congratulations to everyone who was in the team. 

See you again next year (if I am going with the team again).