Teman Terulung by Azalea

Another beautiful song written by an old friend Intan, sang by Anuar Zain. Teman Terulung won the weekly champion on the 24th July Episode of Muzik-Muzik AJL 2008 .Congrats Intan! My prayers for this song to be in this year's finals. Amin...



Teman Terulung
Song/Lyrics: Azalea

Bila bertaut senyuman
Mata berlirikan
Memancarkan keluhuran
Cerah kesederhanaanmu
Seindah kejujuranmu

Detik seia sejiwa
Terungkap setia
Tiada upaya sepi
Mekar kudup penantianku
Hadirnya teman sejati

Melangkah kita menjejak mimpi
Bahagia berdiri dengan mu disisi
Harapan kita meniti hari
Sentiasa seiring

Paling agung teman terulung
Tenunan emas sayap hidupku
Tak inginku undur bertamu
Bertakhta teguh
Ke akhir waktu.

Nasi Daging Daun Selasih @ KruaThai Restaurant

When we're out of choice for food, we'll usually settle for something nearby - KruaThai Restaurant is one of those 'within vicinity' eating place in Bukit Antarabangsa. I think, of all the food here, (those usually served in a Thai restaurant) Nasi Daging Daun Selasih is so far the best.

However, the cook isn't really consistent and the taste varies from one visit to another. I suppose they have different cook for different days but I haven't been as lucky as this one fine evening where lady luck had me capture the best yet Nasi Daging Dauh Selasih served at KruaThai Restaurant so far. After that it was all a different variety of the dish which was not really to my liking. Here 's the lucky shot:

Nasi Daging Selasih

Nasi Daging Selasih is a medium dry dish served with Sunny Side Up Egg and is best eaten with Sambal Belachan. I would usually accompany this dish with a bowl of Oxtail Soup. Nasi Daging Daun Selasih is quite spicy but the taste of Daun Selasih is really pleasing to the tastebud, mine at least.

Sambal Belachan


Sup Ekor @ Oxtail Soup

The other place serving this dish was at Puchong Perdana (can't remember the name - the last time I was there was nearly 9 years ago) If ever I am near Puchong Perdana again I would see if this place still exists or not. They serve excellent Thai food.

I am Crazy for Her

Yep. THIS is my current craze. I would turn my head 360 degrees whenever I see this beauty on the road. It has transformed and has tremendously improved from the old version (which I nearly bought one a couple of years back - lucky I didn't because it seems to be looking ugly now).

The All New 2008 Accent CVVT on the other hand is such a sleek looking car that I think would suite me well. I love the design and the interior and the fact that it's a fuel saver says it all. I was at Ampang Point Mall last weekend and they were having a Merdeka Day promotion - was really attracted to the car and... NO I didn't decide to get one, at least for now. Since I am going for Umrah in August I do not want to make purchases in a hurry, I need time to think.

After some sense talking session with KN, I realized that there is still a year of loan left for the current car and with the current economic conditions I think I better not think of changing car just yet - but who knows in a few months time I might just get her for good?

Rasa Sate Kajang yang Sebenar?

Taman Melati Branch

The first thing I planned to do when arriving at the Uni some 12 years ago was to experience the ever famous and supposedly the most delicious satay of all - Satay Kajang. I could still remember it was with my best friend Roy whom I talked into taking a bus from the Uni and for the first time setting foot in Kajang Town when we discovered Satay Kajang Haji Samuri. This was when my taste buds got accustomed to Satay Kajang Haji Samuri.

Back then you didn't have to order your satay but they will arrive as soon as you land your bum on the seats. If you need more than what you were served, just ask for more. Otherwise you only pay for what you consumed and the rest will go back to the kitchen, heated and then served to the other guests. Even the gravy were topped up before your current bowl was empty. And imagine the satay - it was huge, juicy and great tasting - you'd be coming back for more.

The price? - a cheap RM0.30 per stick - cheap eh? Satay Haji Samuri in Kajang had become our favourite lepak place whenever we craved for satay (that's like 3 times a week - we just couldn't get enough of it because they were filling and yes, wallet-friendly). Talk about meeting place in Kajang; a place to celebrate birthdays, a place to take turn to belanja friends when we were a little rich with scholarship money - Satay Haji Samuri would be the ultimate choice. But those were the days - 12 years ago. Nothing could compare to the fun and the experience we had then. The thrill of having your satay sticks counted by the waiter and wallah only then you realized you have eaten more than you can afford, was priceless!

The Sambal and the Peanut Sauce - My Favorite Here

Ever since they decided to 'serve as ordered' things have taken a turn with Satay Kajang Haji Samuri - it has become just like any satay place in the country - no longer there were cheap thrills of the waiter having to go round the table counting satay sticks if you decide to go dutch - and imagine if a whole class of 20 were there - phew! Prices too shot up to RM0.60 now and the satay are getting skinnier by the day, no longer juicy and are often served cold. Even the waiters need to be called several times for service - and if you have ordered something other than satay (a bowl of cut onions for instance) you'd have to ask for it minimum twice or at one time I had to even go to their kitchen to ask for the onions myself. (Note - they didn't have as many waiters in the early 90s but were very efficient and super fast)

Nasi Himpit and Bawang - A must for KN and me.
They used to have ketupat back then.

No doubt that Satay Kajang Haji Samuri is still the favourite to many, the place has somehow lost its charm and I think, it is over commercialized. Even so, I would still crave for Satay Haji Samuri once in a while and would go to their Taman Melati branch (good business I suppose as they've expanded form one to two shop lots) as I still love their Kuah Kacang (Peanut Sauce) and the Sambal that comes with it. Rugi for our youngsters who think that this is the happening satay serving place in town - only if they've experienced the place like us old people did. Ahahaha tua ke?

Alhamdulillah...

"Di sini aku datang untuk memenuhi panggilan-Mu ya Allah, di sini aku datang wahai Yang Tiada sekutu bagi-Mu. Di sini aku datang untuk memenuhi panggilan-Mu ya Allah, Sesungguhnya segala puji, nikmat dan kekuasaan hanya milik-Mu, tiada sekutu bagi-Mu."

"O my Lord, Here I am at Your service, Here I am. There is no partner with You. Here I am. Truly, the praise and the provisions are Yours, and so is the dominion and sovereignty. There is no partner with you."

Alhamdulillah. Our dream to set foot in Makkah for Umrah is becoming a reality. Our Visas have just been approved and this good news was relayed to us by our agent Andalusia after our Umrah class yesterday morning. We'll be leaving in less than three weeks and we're counting every second till the day comes. Maha suci Allah, only He knows how it feels deep inside to how badly I want to be there and everytime I practice the Talbiyah I feel nearer to the Ka'abah. I've never felt this way in my whole life before. It's hard to describe but the feeling is wonderful.

InsyaAllah... Do pray for our well being. A million thanks.

Durians @ Taman Melawati

The Murah Ones (above) and the Expensive Ones (below)

Every Durian season, this place would be full with the King of Fruit's lovers including me. Well, as a diabetic, I shouldn't be even smelling the aroma of the fruit, shouldn't I? Ah, what the heck -I wouldn't be calling myself Malaysian if I am deprived from eating and smelling the lovely Durians! True?

What's most important is that at this place in Melawati town, Durians are in abundance and are sold cheap too. They may not be the best deal like the ones you may find outside KL but buying here is a real bargain - even the 4 for RM10 would be a good treat for 2 - good for us KLites who seldom get the chance to taste Fresh Kampung Durians sold by the road side in Pahang or Penang for example. What's more? You can choose to have the fruit dine-in as they have tables and chairs set up for those who doesn't want their cars (and homes) to smell of Durian for the rest of their lives (hehehe kidding...). Furthermore this way, customers are assured of good quality and best tasting Durians as they are opened and consumed there and then. Any complaints and grievances will be entertained in real time!

The Fruit Stall Just Opposite

Nearby is a stall selling all sorts of fruits making this area a one stop centre for Malaysian Fruit lovers in Taman Melawati and surrounding areas.

Happy Birthday Arif!

It's my one and only Nephew Arif's Bithday today!
He is 7 and loves cars...
So here you are - a dashing sports car that comes with glittering balloons...
and a lovely chick for you to enjoy!

p/s don't tell your mama the chick came with the car ok?

Cozy House @ Great Eastern Mall

Apart from Cozy Corner Ampang Park, we frequent their branch at Great Eastern Mall. Actually the one at Ampang Park (and in PJ) and this one at Great Eastern Mall belongs to two different owners. They're actually siblings who have gone their separate ways and opened two restaurants using the same name and serving the same menu. Even the taste is exactly similar.

I am not sure how this happened but if you call any of the two restaurants and asked for the other's telephone number they will deny having relations or having a branch at the other place. Having asked one of their waitresses there who had served the place ever since I was a kid, she told us about the differences (or row) the siblings had.

No matter what we order there, or no matter which Cozy Corner we went to so far, they both serve great food. Of course my favourite would be the Cozy Chicken Chop with Gravy - nothing beats this dish elsewhere and has been my favourite since the first time I set foot in this restaurant perhaps nearly 15 years ago. That night, apart from the tasty Chicken Chop, we ordered the Cantonese Kuey Teow and we both had the Jasmine Tea... reminds us of Teh Botol in Indonesia!

Al Fatihah

Azran Abdul Aziz wrote in Facebook
at 6:51pm Tuesday July 22, 2008

Assalamualaikum w.b.t.
Dear all... It saddens me to make this announcement yet it has to be told. One of our active members, namely our beloved friend Shahira Abdul Ghani has passed away earlier this morning in an accident. She will be sent back to her parent's home tonite and will be laid to rest tomorrow. Al-fatihah

Kak Shera, a senior of mine had left us this morning in an accident. Life is so fragile that anyone can go at anytime without having the chance to say goodbye. Al-Fatihah.

Don't Mess with the Zohan

I am disappointed and feel offended that such movie exists. Lucky we didn't pay for the tickets but downloaded it from the Torrent - serves them right! And how in the world would this movie get through our Malaysian censorship board and have its billboard erected showing Zohan's huge bulge in the middle of MRR2? I suppose because it's a movie starring Adam Sandler means that it could cause no harm. No offense with the sexual inclination of the movie but the character Zohan is an Israeli (I thought we do not have diplomatic relations with this country, so why show a movie featuring a hero from there?) and 99% of the movie was focusing on how stupid Palestinian Muslims are.

How so uncivilized.

Even if towards the end the story showed how tolerant the Israeli was marrying a Palestinian girl but what good could a mere couple of minutes ending showing their better side when throughout the movie they've undermined and belittled the Muslims? Whatever it is, I neither like the movie nor find it hilarious like I usually do with Adam Sandler's movies.

Disclaimer: This is only Kal El's opinion, I mean no harm. If you enjoyed the movie and have different opinion about it, it's your choice, go ahead and like it.

Siput Dengki

What would you do if you meet this siput@snail?

Of Indonesians and Teh Tarik

I have been away training a group of Technologist from Indonesia the whole of last week. I had a good time training them even though it was really tiring since I could only afford about 30 minutes of sleep to prepare for the 5 days session. They were demanding and surely had a lot to ask and it was quite a tedious work trying ti impress and fulfill their expectations. Alhamdulillah the training went off well and I received very positive feedback from them during the closing session yesterday. Among others they were talking about sending more participants to be trained and the possibility of a JV in their development work. InsyaAllah.

Of the 5 days I couldn't help but smile at the fact that they loved Teh Tarik so much. I have been to Indonesia several times and yes, they do not serve tea with milk, what more Teh Tarik! What they are familiar with are the famous teh botol or teh kotak. We had a free flow teh tarik during the training (not a real mamak style teh tarik though but the Aik Cheong 3-in-1 packets) and since they loved it so much they were asking me where we'd bought the 3-in-1 drink - so I promised to get them a packet each to take home to Indonesia. I even told them to try the real deal at one of the mamak restaurant nearby the office and they loved it!

Photo (c) iEatiShootiPost

It's actually wonderful to know that a simple local drink like Teh Tarik could attract followers from afar. I wonder if the next time I am in Indonesia I would somehow find a restaurant selling Teh Tarik eh? Heheheh

Congratulations EZ and Zizi

Congratulations to the bride and groom, EZ and Zizi who wed last week at Concorde Hotel Shah Alam on 6th July 2008 and at Dewan MBSA Section 11 Shah Alam then ext day. May the two of you be blessed, together and forever. Amin!

Kopi Oh Cineleisure, Mutiara Damansara

Kopitiam Styled Kopi Oh! @ Cineleisure Damansara

We were at Kopi Oh! Cineleisure Mutiara Damansara recently for tea. It was indeed a good choice. Besides what we ordered (see below) they serve really tempting looking main dishes to choose from like Nasi Lemak Rendang Daging and many more local dishes. We'll have to come back some other time to try their main dishes since we were rather full and was in between two movies during one of our movie marathon sessions recently.

I had this really delicious sandwich with chicken floss and slices of chicken in it with the Apple Assam drink - refreshing!

While KN had the Toast Kaya Bread and Iced Tea - both were not bad at all.

Penawar Surah Al Kausar

Surah ini paling pendek, hanya mengandungi 3 ayat & diturunkan di Makkah dan bermaksud sungai di syurga. Kolam sungai ini diperbuat daripada batu permata nan indah dan cantik. Rasanya lebih manis daripada madu, warnanya pula lebih putih daripada susu dan lebih wangi daripada kasturi.

Surah ini disifatkan sebagai surah penghibur hati Nabi Muhammad s.a.w.kerana diturunkan ketika baginda bersedih atas kematian 2 orang yang dikasihi iaitu anak lelakinya Ibrahim dan bapa saudaranya Abu Talib.

Pelbagai khasiat terkandung di dalam surah ini dan boleh kita amalkan:-

1) Baca surah ini ketika hujan dan berdoa, mudah-mudahan Allah s.w.t. makbulkan doa kita.

2) Jika kita kehausan dan tiada air, bacalah surah ini dan gosok di leher, Insya' Allah hilang dahaga.

3) Jika sering sakit mata, seperti berair, gatal, bengkak, sapukan air mawar yang sudah dibacakan surah ini sebanyak 10x pada mata.

4) Jika rumah dipercayai terkena sihir, baca surah ini 10x, mudah-mudahan Allah s.w.t. bagi ilham pada kita dimana letaknya sihir itu.

5) Jika membacanya 1,000x rezeki kita akan bertambah.

6) Jika rajin membacanya, hati kita akan menjadi lembut dan khusyuk ketika menunaikan solat.

7) Jika orang teraniaya dan terpenjara membacanya sebanyak 71x, Allah s.w.t. akan memberikan bantuan kepadanya kerana dia tidak bersalah tetapi dizalimi.

Perkara yg baik kita amalkan selalu. Sebar-sebarkankanlah kepada kekawan, terima
kasih.

The surah is real short so, recite it whenever or wherever you are, InsyaAllah.

Cafe Milano @ Signature's KLCC

Cafe Milano is at the Signature's Food Court @ Suria KLCC. It serves Italian food like spaghetti and lasagna as well as a variety of waffles for dessert. I have not tried their waffles tho but they look so discriminatingly sweet and definitely tempting for a diabetic like me.

Spaghetti Bolognese with Meatballs

My usual order would be their Meatball Spaghetti Bolognese. You can either have chicken or beef for the meatball - I of course love the beef. What's so nice about this dish? It's tomato and cheese rich gravy is out of this world. What's even better, if three pieces meatball aren't enough for you, extras are available at RM0.60 each - they're huge so three would usually be just nice for me.

Spaghetti Alfredo with Meatballs

KN has tried their Spaghetti Alfredo with Meatball and loved it! Don't worry if you're a Parmesan Cheese freak like me - they're not stingy and you can help yourself to as much as you want at the cashier counter, unlike some other places I've been to, serving Italian dishes but did not have Parmesan Cheese in storage.

Iced Jelly Fruit Cocktail

If ever we dine at Signature's KLCC, I would usually order the Iced Jelly Fruit Cocktail to accompany my pasta. The stall selling this refreshing dessert is just opposite Cafe Milano.

DiVico TViX Hard Disk Player

Ever since we've got this toy we never had to buy DVDs again - movies, sitcoms, even photos and music are now downloaded and stored in this 250GB DiVico TViX Hard Disk Player thus saving space for DVD storage in our reading room - the storage capacity of the Hard Disk Player is currently limited to 250GB but definitely expandable in the future when the need arises.

The unit is small and portable enough for us to carry anywhere around or out of the house. We can now even bring our multimedia along on outings and connect the unit to a TV - and zap! we have our own in-house movies (if the hotel doesn't have any). The unit comes with a full functionality remote control.

The TViX Hard Disk Player supports most video formats including MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (AVi & VOB) and MPEG-4 (AVI, XvID). The unit also supports IFO and ISO files for full navigation DVD back up - so if you go on vacation, for example, you don't need to carry DVDs with you but copy them into the TViX. The Hard Disk Player can be used as a digital photo album with slide show with music background. It can also be used as a music library supporting MP3, Ogg and WMA formats. You can also organize a custom play list of your favourite music to have it played continuously on your TV or your sound system.

Cool eh?

Hainan Street Cafe, Ampang Park

Whenever we're out of ideas where to have dinner we would usually go somewhere near and with easy access. Since I work nearby Ampang Park, we usually decide to go to the usual Cozy Corner, KFC, Pizza Hut or McDonald's. This time we decided to go to a kopitiam we've only tried once before - Hainan Street Cafe at the East end of Ampang Park. It's a small Kopitiam serving the usual nyonya styled dishes.

What's nice about this place is that you can have dinner at their 'side-street' tables while watching cars go by or if you're lucky enough, you could laugh at those motorists stuck in the heavy traffic jam whenever SMART tunnel decides to suddenly close - like they usually abruptly do.

Nasi Lemak Kari Ayam

We of course ordered their Iced Cham - a must whenever we're at a Kopitiam and this time we both tried the Chicken Curry Nasi Lemak. It was tasty and very special especially with the Acar Timun as a side dish - a little sweet and a little funny to have this with Nasi Lemak but it was indeed a good and worthy combination.

Iced Cham

Air Mata Kucing @ Petaling Street, KL

Do you know the best Mata Kucing (Longan with brown sugar) drink in KL (or perhaps in the whole wide world)? Yup its @ Petaling Street - a stall right at the crossroads in the middle of Petaling Street. Real tasty!

They Used to Serve in Steel Bowls... Now in Paper Cups

I have been coming to this stall ever since I was in High School in the early 90s and every time I was on my way back from college in the mid 90s I would definitely drop by for at least 2 bowls of their cold Mata Kucing served in cold steel bowls...how refreshing! Unfortunately now they have replace the metal bowls with paper cups...

Makassar, Sulawesi April 2009

Map of Sulawesi (c) Sulawesi-Indonesia.com

The earlier plan was a long visit to Europe (London - Manchester - Paris - Amsterdam) for 2009 but the plan had to be postponed due to the current economic situation. As a replacement, we took advantage of the recent Air Asia free seats offer to Makassar (Ujung Padang) in Southern Sulawesi.

Our tickets are confirmed for the trip between April 16 - April 22, 2009 to celebrate KN's birthday on April 20th. We would be taking the Skybus this time instead of asking my brother to send us to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal. There's still a long way to go till April next year but I think it's going to be a worth while waiting. We have actually started planning our itinerary! Just hope I won't get sick again this time and that there will be no earthquake anytime near or during our trip. Amin...

Masjid Raya (c) Makassarkota

Our trip this time would mean me returning to where my Bugis ancestors came from - Yup I am a rojak consisting of Bugis, Javanese, Japanese, Chinese and a little Dutch - complicated huh? That's what makes me Super..lah!