Kal El: October 2007

HQ Aidilfitri Open House

Never in my life have i ever gone to the office wearing a complete baju melayu and samping but today. What makes it more awkward was it was a Monday. Coming down from the condo, people were looking at me like I was a freak (perasan je kot) but one mamat was really obvious - is this guy for real? Wearing baju Melayu on a Monday? Helloo... it's Raya lah!

So there we were a group of employees looking like Pegawai Pencegah Maksiat wearing baju melayu and baju kurung parading in the middle of the city on the a bright sunny day. Well, to test us, we had a meeting in another block in the morning (I think I've mentioned that our office occupies 3 out 4 blocks in the vicinity, so block hopping is a regular thing to do - but well, not while wearing baju melayu with samping!) and had to walk to another block for th feast. Alah ok lah... makan free punya pasal.

The jamuan raya started an hour late - so we waited and cramped around the office trying to mingle while some of us are busy preparing and some others busy snapping photos. The food was as bad as during the buka puasa we had earlier in the month. I guess the same caterer was hired. Well, nothing much to brag about the food but it was indeed fun having to humiliate ourself looking like pengantins in the middle of the city on a monday morning - if they were to make us wear baju melayu on a friday then it wouldn't be as awkward.

I however think that such practice of wearing traditional costumes to work is indeed commendable as it promotes our culture. We shouldn't feel embarrassed or out of place but proud wearing our own traditional costumes.

Salam Aidil Fitri 2007

This is my favorite lagu raya. It touches my heart very deeply although my 'pulanglah (go home)' is just a mere stone throw away from where I live. Yes, I do not have a kampung - my descendants are from Johore though.

To all; Family, friends and maybe foe -

Salam Aidil Fitri 2007.
Mohon Seribu Keampunan,
Maaf Zahir dan Batin

Al-Fatihah Buat Mummy...

Buka Puasa @ the Office on the Rooftop

Today the office organised a buka puasa treat for all her staff. It was held on the rooftop@balcony of the office with breathtaking view of Kuala Lumpur skyline. My office occupies 3 out of 4 blocks in this vicinity. This also means that my other half will have to breakfast alone on this second last day of Ramadhan - sorry dear (but I heard you makan McD - tak achi betul since the food served at the buka puas sucks)

Yes, the food sucks real big time. There was rice with 3 lauk, 2 savory items and rojak buah plus cold and hot drinks also some kueh. All these for RM30 per head I heard, luckily we didn't have to pay. Whatever it is, thank you to the Blood Sucking Sicko Company for the breaking of fast treat, the baju raya as well as the duit raya, even though it was n0t as much as the last two years. At least it is an effort to make the employees feel appreciated.

Buka Puasa @ Puti Bongsu Batam

For nasi padang lovers, search no more - this place beats Sari Ratu, Sari Bonda and many other Saris nasi padang places in terms of taste and pricing. Of course the best in taste and price would still be in Indoensia!) This is actually our second time breaking fast here apart from many other dinner visits before. Since this restaurant is nearby my workplace, it has always been an option whenever traffic was bad and whenever I need a dose of my daging rendang, bergedel and sambal hijo.

My craze for nasi padang started after my family's vacation to Jakarta and Bandung way back in 1983. Our week's stay there was torturous as we had to eat nasi padang and indomie every single day but when coming back my mother and I began to crave for what at that time was scarce in Kuala Lumpur. I am sure if my mother was still around she would frequent this place as well.

Nasi Padang Puti Bungsu Batam is a family owned restaurant from Batam, Indonesia. We had a chance to meet the very friendly owner, a young chap who was here to help his brother set up their Kuala Lumpur branch. Eating here (our usual meal, rendang, berdegel, sambal hijo and avocado chocolate for myself and chicken, berdegel and sour sop) would costs us around RM35 per visit while at Sari Bunda in Cheras, for the same meal would usually costs us more than RM50.

Suring Ramadahan they offer a range of buffet variety for RM30 per pax but we chose to eat ala carte - that's the magic of eating nasi padang - a la carte. So, this place is definitely a would come back for us as the food is delicious and the ambiance is definitely great.

Sheila Majid - Melodi

I never knew Sheila had this song before. I don't know the Chinese guy's name though but he snag in Malay, mati-mati ingat he's a HongKee.. BTW thanks my dearest sayang for giving me this video, perhaps found in You Tube. Muahs!

Buka Puasa & Anniversary Dinner @ HRC

We went to Hard Rock Cafe to celebrate our 5th Anniversary. The last time we were here was to celebrate our 1st Anniversary in 2003. With intentions to order a la carte menu we were attracted to try the Ramadhan Buffet instead. Fairly priced at 45++ per person, the buffet line was modest with a choice of buttered rice, chicken satay, kong po chicken, potato wedges, calamari rings plus some other yummy entrees and delicious desserts. For the main course, we were given an all you can eat choices of 5 dishes (that we'd have to place an order every time) from a choice a beef, lamb, fish and prawn - interesting! We're also given 2 rounds of either mata kuching or sirap bandung - the mata kuching was surprisingly yummy!

Well, compared to the buffet we had at Rahsia Bistro - this was 100% better. The only thing I despise was the loud music - and my darling told me - that is why this place is called Hard Rock Cafe honey - they play hard rock music - well, oklah perhaps I'm just getting old.

So we ended up ordering every single main course on the menu and definitely enjoyed our food. The main courses were not the usual dish with potatoes and frills but just a good tasting bare dish i.e. if you ordered black pepper steak, that is what you're getting, and of course the portion was generous - who cares when the food tastes good? Overall, it was a memorable night as my other half is a great fan or HRC - wherever we travel, there has to be HRC somewhere in the destination and we'll be shopping for t-shirts like nobody's business. Heheheh. As a matter of fact that was what we did after dinner!

p/s
What I got for my anniversary gift this year?
A bouquet of a dozen white and red roses with 2 cute bears and an I LOVE YOU Balloon, a Superman toy, Smallville Season 5 Box Set and a Superman Documentary DVD... heheheh am I not loved? Thanks sayang.

What I gave my sayang for our anniversary this year?
A 4GB Memory Stick for some gadget my love has, a HRC KL T-shirt and The Dinner. Muahs!

Happy 5th Anniversary Sayang!

Today marks the 5th year we're together and I hope we'll be together for the rest of our lives. Even after i'm gone, I hope you will still remember and love me. Thank you my dear for taking good care of me. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for always being there for me. Only God knows how much I love you and how much my love for you grows each and every second I live with you.

Thanks for the bouquet of flower - it is as sweet as you. I love you more and more each day sayang. May God bless us.

Buka Puasa @ Rahsia Bistro

Crappy! I don't know why the place was fully booked last week - I don't know why people even bother to go there. Ambiance wise, I could give a 6 - ok la dining in the outdoors (because I asked for a smoking seating) with crickets and frogs croaking, it makes the place rather fun and I was looking forward to the food - yes we arrived early, just hoping for something special for a pre anniversary dinner (yes it's our 5th anniversary today) but indeed we felt cheated, i'll tell you why.

For a RM38 nett per person we expected something better than @ Hillside Restaurant Bukit Antarabangsa. Hillside was 100% better for only RM29+ per person; barbecue, better choices of food and definitely didn't make us feel robbed. A place with such reputation as Rahsia Bistro, they food was really a disappointment; 2 choices of rice, some veges and i think 4 chicken dishes, a plate of wanton and a puny choice of desserts - and guess what coffee was not included in the buffet but the Bangla waiter asked us "Coffee or Tea, Sir" instead of "Would you like to order Coffee or Tea, Sir" of course the latter would have indicated that we have to pay for the RM6 per cup coffee and the former would mean it's inclusive in the buffet price - and yes, when we got the bill, a stunning RM12 for the tasteless coffee (Kluang Station Coffee tastes so much better)

For us, that was the first and the last we're there. Tonight it's Anniversary dinner at HRC.

1408

On our pre-anniversary night we watched Stephen King's 1408 on dvd - ahahah a way a 5 year old couple waits for the clock to strike 12 - heheheh well, after a very disappointing pre-anniversary ramadhan buffet at Rahsia Bistro, a movie would definitely calm us down.

As usual, my choice would be horror, if not comedy. Having read Stephen King's novels, the complicated storyline was well anticipated. The movie was fine at the beginning, about a horror novelist (ahahah very common in Stephen King's novels/movies) who is searching for materials to write and came in an invitation to stay at the Dolphin Hotel in New York to experience their haunted room where 56 people died there, in room 1408 - quite scary at first but the movie turns out to be about the author's past (acted by John Cusack) and his being insistent to stay in room 1408 even after Samuel L Jackson tried to stop him. I think the movie should instead be named after the author or his dead daughter heheheh.

One event after another, some scary happenings in the supposedly haunted room, I began to realize the haunting is actually of Cusack's past - about his daughter and wife and sadly, like many other Stephen King's stories, the story ended up very illogically. But what the heck, it is just a movie and I enjoyed 3/4 of it anyway - I would prefer Dean Koontz's but his novels never go to the silver screen except for 1. Sad.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

Aren't they a cute couple? Hilarious!
Adam Sandler strikes again...Go watch...

Kal El

Assalamu'alaikum...

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