CELEBRATING A FRIEND'S BIRTHDAY AT THE HOSPITAL

We were at the hospital today to celebrate a friend's birthday. We actually wanted to visit his mother who has been warded for 6 weeks and coincidentally, it was his birthday today so we might as well sing him the birthday song - in very low voices, but someone else was singing at a high pitch. He looked like he wanted to run away at that time from Sultanah Aminah Hospital.

Happy birthday Mr. Saravanan Palanisamy, many happy returns. And we wish his mother a speedy recovery at the same time.

MASJID MELAYU (JAMEK) LEBUH ACHEH, GEORGETOWN

17th MARCH 2018 ~ After passing by the mosque which was located near to the hotel where I was staying a few times, I finally stopped to perform my prayers. The mosque was built by early migrants from Acheh in 1792, and the building is now declared as a heritage site.

It was just a small mosque but it was well-maintained and looked after. Definitely one place where one could worship the Almighty peacefully - without all the fancy decorations adorning the wall which could cause distractions at times.

MY PENANG GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - OF ICED SARBAT AND TAKUO RENDANG

17th MARCH 2018 ~ We were then taken to Tamil Street to try another must-eat street food in Georgetown by our host, Puan Aishah Aboo Bakar. There was this stall called "AIS TINGKAP" (translate: window ice) and there was obviously no window that could be seen. There were many people already in front of the stall, waiting for their order.

Iced Sarbat was this red drinks with a lot of ice and small seed-like, crunchy jelly [basil seed?] that would quench one's thirst during a scorching, hot day on the road.

When in Penang, you must eat Penang Laksa, obviously.

Then our takuo rendang arrived and I was searching for the rendang (a traditional Malay dish) but there was none. Then only I informed that "rendang" in northern dialect would refer to something that is fried and takuo is actually "tauhu" or soy cake.

Penang is well-known for its street food, and has been promoted on travel channels and travel books for this. I was glad I had the opportunity to try out some (or just  a few) of its famous must-eat (and must-drink) items on the list and I am willing to go back again for more.

THE MORNING MARKET AT KAMPONG MELAYU, GEORGETOWN

17th MARCH 2018 ~ There was this morning market at Kampong Melayu, Georgetown, the place where we had nasi kandar for breakfast. We went to see what was available. There were people selling food, fish and vegetables - a small market for the community living in the flat houses and nearby residential area.

people buying durians

I had the opportunity to observe how "apam telur" [egg pancake] was made by an elderly man at his stall.

This should be a very convenient place to shop for the locals without having to drive through the traffic jam in the city.

THE FIRST CHESS COMPETITION HELD BY TANJUNG PUTERI CHESS CLUB

A group of teachers who are attached to the Johor Bahru Schoold Chess Team have taken the initiative to form Tanjung Puteri Chess Club. This organization aims to encourage more students to take up chess and to develop chess-playing skills. The very first chess competition was held today at SMK Mohd. Khalid for two categories: primary and secondary schools. The participation was good as there were about 92 students taking part. At the same time, there was also a competition for teachers.

The tournament organized was a success considering the fact that this was the very first activity of the club. We hope that we could get more people to join in and come up with more meetings and competitions in the future.