A FAREWELL GATHERING AT A YEMEN RESTAURANT

   2nd OCTOBER 2026    ~ Another ex-colleague of SMK Taman Universiti got her transfer approved. However, instead of getting back to her hometown in Terengganu, she was put in a school in Negeri Sembilan, and she was left with not much choice.

 

A few friends organized a farewell party for Miss Maizura Abu Hassan at Al-Nawras Restaurant in Taman Pulai Flora. Luckily, I was also invited so I could officially bid her farewell.

Wishing Miss Maizura the best of luck in her new school. God willing, may we meet again some other time in the future, either in Johor Bahru or Negeri Sembilan, and who knows may be in Terengganu.

FOOTNOTE: I have now discovered a new eating place for Arab food.

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.