The doctor was quite straighforward.
"If you want to live longer, you better do something about your weight now"
The fasting month provided a useful kickstart to weight loss as I usually dropped a few pounds (which would gained back by the second day of Aidilfitri). This time I would like to try as much as I can to keep it off and even more.
Alhamdulillah, I am able to maintain some of the weight I have loss (well, plus minus here and there).
... who knows, I can put on my Oscar De La Renta suit which I only wore once during my graduation... way back in 1997...
... Impossible ?
Amalgam of all things seen_er ....
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Keeping it off
One of the best thing about Ramadhan is the almost assured weight loss. This is especially so if one does not splurge on the delicacies at the Bazaar Ramadhan.
I managed to shed some pounds.
... thats the easy part...
.... after a week of Aidilfitri, the question is whether I can keep it off...
I managed to shed some pounds.
... thats the easy part...
.... after a week of Aidilfitri, the question is whether I can keep it off...
Friday, September 25, 2009
Eid Mubarak
Two Days Before
We started our journey back to Hutan Percha, Melaka at around 10am (despite my earlier plan of leaving no later than 9am, in order to avoid the traffic congestion on the highway). My sis-in-law who is studying in Terengganu arrived in KL early in the morning and joined us for the drive. Traffic was amazingly clear (even at the usual Nilai, R&R and Seremban exit) and we arrived around 11.45am. Everyone were already back home except for my bro in law Azlan who would only be coming back tonight. Along got in on thursday, so too did Suhada. It was also the first time I met Along's son Raziq, whom Kak Ana gave birth in July. Haris now has another cousin to boss around, hehe!
In the evening, Along, Kema, Suhada and I went to the Pasar Ramadan in Alor Gajah. Talk about an IT savvy town, even the Medan Selera has frew WiFi. I can picture the UiTM Lendu students typing on their laptop at the Medan Selera, while savouring the cucur udang the town is famous for!
For the most part of it, everyone was fussing around Haris, who is happy to show his newfound mobility and his vocal cords. Haris somehow takes a bit of time to warm up to people but with Great grandma, he seemed to hit it off immediately.
The Day Before Eid
Early in the morning, I followed Along and Mak to Selandar to pick up the beef for the rendang. Selandar is about 15 minutes drive from Hutan Percha. Mak told me that the meat supplier has his own cattle farm and usually during festivities like Eid, he only takes orders in advance. Oh, and he also drives a brand new Mercedes E240 :)
The rest of the day is spent with the normal spring cleaning and cooking preparation. The menu for the Eid would be as follows:
1. Nasi Himpit & Ketupat
2. Rendang Ayam (Mak bought lotsa chicken at Mydin MITC)
3. Rendang Cili Padi
4. Lemang
5. Kuah Kacang
6. Sup tulang
The BIG day.. Eid
Everyone woke up very early. Luckily there was no mad rush for the toilets and bathroom. After one month of fasting, its time to celebrate the "victory", as prescribed by Allah in the Holy Al-Quran. Haris, Honey Dearest and I put on our matching maroon baju melayu and baju kurung and Haris looked extremely cute in it. It was off to the mosque for the solat sunat aidilfitri and after the performing the solat, we went to the Tanah Perkuburan to recite the tahlil for Arwah Datuk. The community here has this Mass Tahlil and in no time, it was full of family members visiting the grave of the departed.
My classmate from MCKK, Jani, hails from Hutan Percha and his house is not far from ours. Kema and Suhada joined us but unfortunately Jani had to stay back in KL because her mother in law was admitted to the hospital.
The whole family then headed to Tampin to have our family potrait taken at the photo studio (this so reminds me of the Lat cartoon, heheh) and imagine my surprise when almost all the phot studios are packed. We had to wait for about 45 minutes before we were ushered into the studio and had our family potrait taken.
It was then visits to relatives houses. More food and drinks. Darn, I need to maintin my weight loss!
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin to all !
We started our journey back to Hutan Percha, Melaka at around 10am (despite my earlier plan of leaving no later than 9am, in order to avoid the traffic congestion on the highway). My sis-in-law who is studying in Terengganu arrived in KL early in the morning and joined us for the drive. Traffic was amazingly clear (even at the usual Nilai, R&R and Seremban exit) and we arrived around 11.45am. Everyone were already back home except for my bro in law Azlan who would only be coming back tonight. Along got in on thursday, so too did Suhada. It was also the first time I met Along's son Raziq, whom Kak Ana gave birth in July. Haris now has another cousin to boss around, hehe!
In the evening, Along, Kema, Suhada and I went to the Pasar Ramadan in Alor Gajah. Talk about an IT savvy town, even the Medan Selera has frew WiFi. I can picture the UiTM Lendu students typing on their laptop at the Medan Selera, while savouring the cucur udang the town is famous for!
For the most part of it, everyone was fussing around Haris, who is happy to show his newfound mobility and his vocal cords. Haris somehow takes a bit of time to warm up to people but with Great grandma, he seemed to hit it off immediately.
The Day Before Eid
Early in the morning, I followed Along and Mak to Selandar to pick up the beef for the rendang. Selandar is about 15 minutes drive from Hutan Percha. Mak told me that the meat supplier has his own cattle farm and usually during festivities like Eid, he only takes orders in advance. Oh, and he also drives a brand new Mercedes E240 :)
The rest of the day is spent with the normal spring cleaning and cooking preparation. The menu for the Eid would be as follows:
1. Nasi Himpit & Ketupat
2. Rendang Ayam (Mak bought lotsa chicken at Mydin MITC)
3. Rendang Cili Padi
4. Lemang
5. Kuah Kacang
6. Sup tulang
The BIG day.. Eid
Everyone woke up very early. Luckily there was no mad rush for the toilets and bathroom. After one month of fasting, its time to celebrate the "victory", as prescribed by Allah in the Holy Al-Quran. Haris, Honey Dearest and I put on our matching maroon baju melayu and baju kurung and Haris looked extremely cute in it. It was off to the mosque for the solat sunat aidilfitri and after the performing the solat, we went to the Tanah Perkuburan to recite the tahlil for Arwah Datuk. The community here has this Mass Tahlil and in no time, it was full of family members visiting the grave of the departed.
My classmate from MCKK, Jani, hails from Hutan Percha and his house is not far from ours. Kema and Suhada joined us but unfortunately Jani had to stay back in KL because her mother in law was admitted to the hospital.
The whole family then headed to Tampin to have our family potrait taken at the photo studio (this so reminds me of the Lat cartoon, heheh) and imagine my surprise when almost all the phot studios are packed. We had to wait for about 45 minutes before we were ushered into the studio and had our family potrait taken.
It was then visits to relatives houses. More food and drinks. Darn, I need to maintin my weight loss!
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin to all !
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Menjelang Syawal
It has been an interesting Ramadan for me this year.
First and foremost, I was down with viral fever for most of the first half of Ramadhan. It was quite a harrowing experience, with me being on bed most of the time. It started before the fasting month and I guess I officially recoverd on the 15th Ramadhan. Luckily it wasn't H1N1 but just as precaution, I was prescribed the the anti-viral alternative to Tamiflu and I believe I became one of the statistic for ILI (Influenza-like illness), heheh! Alhamdulillah, I have recovered (and lose some weight too!)
The thing about not being well is that I miss a lot of Tarawih prayers at the mosque. I confess, I am one of the Gang of 8 (read: lepas 8 rakaat, cabut balik!) and instead of performing it at the surau near my house, I opt for the SS19 moque (for obvious reasons, you should be able to guess!).
First and foremost, I was down with viral fever for most of the first half of Ramadhan. It was quite a harrowing experience, with me being on bed most of the time. It started before the fasting month and I guess I officially recoverd on the 15th Ramadhan. Luckily it wasn't H1N1 but just as precaution, I was prescribed the the anti-viral alternative to Tamiflu and I believe I became one of the statistic for ILI (Influenza-like illness), heheh! Alhamdulillah, I have recovered (and lose some weight too!)
The thing about not being well is that I miss a lot of Tarawih prayers at the mosque. I confess, I am one of the Gang of 8 (read: lepas 8 rakaat, cabut balik!) and instead of performing it at the surau near my house, I opt for the SS19 moque (for obvious reasons, you should be able to guess!).
Monday, September 14, 2009
Fatherhood, the First Year.
On the 10th of September, my son Amir Haris turned one year old.
It also means that I have completed a whole year of fatherhood.
It also means that I have completed a whole year of fatherhood.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Hari Jumaat
First and foremost, takziah to the family of Allahyarham Ust Asri Rabbani. He will surely be missed.
The air con in the office is functioning really well, thanks to some minor service done by the repair guy. We did som minor furniture rearrangment too, in anticipation of adding some new staff by the fourth quarter and the office is looking good too. What would make it better is some potted plants perhaps ?
The air con in the office is functioning really well, thanks to some minor service done by the repair guy. We did som minor furniture rearrangment too, in anticipation of adding some new staff by the fourth quarter and the office is looking good too. What would make it better is some potted plants perhaps ?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thursday 13th Aug 09
Finally, someone came to have a look at the aircon. The split unit at my corner is working fine, just pity the rest of the staff who had to sweat it out.
I told Scha to take the rest of the week of. Its better her to be fully rested and come back to work next week.
I told Scha to take the rest of the week of. Its better her to be fully rested and come back to work next week.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wednesday the 12th
1106 hrs
Wong told me to get another contractor to fix my office aircon. He is booked solid until next week.
I wanted to visit the FHM09 exhibition today but decided to do so tommorow as it will be more in line with my travel plans. Need to "jimat" petrol, heheh :)
__________________________________________________________
1610 hrs
It's raining outside. Call me sentimental but when it rains, it reminds me of Madison during the fall.. Of all the seasons, fall will always remain my favourite.
I just got off the phone with Yong. Gosh, I will be in trouble tomorrow. Yong's staff can't complete the product by today and I can't deliver to Pulau Indah tomorrow. Apparently Yong's staff goes AWOL in him and yours truly becomes a victim. Yong agrees to write in to explain the delay and I will forward the letter to the client to explain why they can't get their things tomorrow.
Wong told me to get another contractor to fix my office aircon. He is booked solid until next week.
I wanted to visit the FHM09 exhibition today but decided to do so tommorow as it will be more in line with my travel plans. Need to "jimat" petrol, heheh :)
__________________________________________________________
1610 hrs
It's raining outside. Call me sentimental but when it rains, it reminds me of Madison during the fall.. Of all the seasons, fall will always remain my favourite.
I just got off the phone with Yong. Gosh, I will be in trouble tomorrow. Yong's staff can't complete the product by today and I can't deliver to Pulau Indah tomorrow. Apparently Yong's staff goes AWOL in him and yours truly becomes a victim. Yong agrees to write in to explain the delay and I will forward the letter to the client to explain why they can't get their things tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Air Con down...
Nope, I am not involved in any airline or starting one to con anyone...
.. its just that the airconditioning is not working. To make matters worse, our regular service provider will only be able to fix it on wednesday (itu pun kalau dia free). Luckily the split unit at my place still functions so it is still bearable.
.. Scha, the admin clerk was hospitalized yesterday due to miscarriage. All of us at the office are truly sorry for your loss. She was discharged later in the evening and is on MC for three days. Have enough rest Scha, all is under control here.
.. gosh, Wong, if you can't confirm when you can come to fix our aircon, have to get someone else to do it...
.. its just that the airconditioning is not working. To make matters worse, our regular service provider will only be able to fix it on wednesday (itu pun kalau dia free). Luckily the split unit at my place still functions so it is still bearable.
.. Scha, the admin clerk was hospitalized yesterday due to miscarriage. All of us at the office are truly sorry for your loss. She was discharged later in the evening and is on MC for three days. Have enough rest Scha, all is under control here.
.. gosh, Wong, if you can't confirm when you can come to fix our aircon, have to get someone else to do it...
Monday, August 03, 2009
"Perjuangan Siapa?"
Both organisers have been going on and on in the media about the impending demonstration. One for and one against. Both heading for the same destination.
In the end, one went ahead while another decided to heed the police's warning and instead sent a representative to hand over the memorandum.
I wasn't there, though I was caught in the crawl on Jalan SyedPutra en route to the MCOBA AGM. What I saw were only the newsfeed on Al Jazeera, Awani, Bernama and TV3. A few things came to mind.
1. Except for a handful of people, why are the protestors made up of Malays? What ever happened to the all the other political parties/NGOs who have been championing for the abolishment of the ISA ? Mana dia ? Mana orang-orang kuat parti "itu" ? The malays, really selfless and accomodating, ya ?
2. Has any of the organizers of the demonstration apologize to the petty traders who suffered losses for not being able to trade due to damages caused? Ok, one may argue that some of the goods were damaged due to the water sprayed by the FRU but it was you who started the demonstration in the first place.
Yes, I may tend to disagree on some aspect of the ISA and how it is being implemented but crippling the state capital in the name of abolishing the act is way too much. The government on the other hand should hasten the review and get these people who oppose the ISA so much to be in the working group.
In the end, one went ahead while another decided to heed the police's warning and instead sent a representative to hand over the memorandum.
I wasn't there, though I was caught in the crawl on Jalan SyedPutra en route to the MCOBA AGM. What I saw were only the newsfeed on Al Jazeera, Awani, Bernama and TV3. A few things came to mind.
1. Except for a handful of people, why are the protestors made up of Malays? What ever happened to the all the other political parties/NGOs who have been championing for the abolishment of the ISA ? Mana dia ? Mana orang-orang kuat parti "itu" ? The malays, really selfless and accomodating, ya ?
2. Has any of the organizers of the demonstration apologize to the petty traders who suffered losses for not being able to trade due to damages caused? Ok, one may argue that some of the goods were damaged due to the water sprayed by the FRU but it was you who started the demonstration in the first place.
Yes, I may tend to disagree on some aspect of the ISA and how it is being implemented but crippling the state capital in the name of abolishing the act is way too much. The government on the other hand should hasten the review and get these people who oppose the ISA so much to be in the working group.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Another By Election
From The Star Online today
Permatang Pasir assemblyman dies
GEORGE TOWN: Penang state assemblyman for Permatang Pasir Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman died at the National Heart Centre in Kuala Lumpur Friday morning. He died at 6.10am.
Mohd Hamdan, a two term state assemblyman and former Penang Pas commissioner, was 60.
He leaves behind a wife and six children.
A Penang government spokesman said Mohd Hamdan's body is expected to arrive in his constituency Friday afternoon and buried there.
In the general election in 2008, Mohd Hamdan beat Umno candidate Ahmad Sahar Shuib with a majority 5,433 majority to win the seat.
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Another by election is coming up, at another PR's stronghold.Will BN contest this time or chose not to like it did during last by election?
I remember Allayarham Hamdan as the person who defeated Dato' Ahmad Saad, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim's Deputy at the UMNO Permatang Pauh.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
A Little Rambling Here and There
A lot of things seemed to have taken place these last two weeks or so:
1. MU -the By Election, not the football club (though more of that later in this post). So, as expected BN lost again to PAS. But what was not expected was the slim margin by which PAS retained the seat. In one of the online news portal, PAS was very confident of garnering a majority of at least 2,000 votes and with voters turnout of more than 85%, it was a possible. However, it never happened and PAS (and PR too) start to throw this accusation of money being handed out by the BN etc.
Oh, come on lah...
2. MU, the football team. No, I am not a supporter of MU and I don't really give a rat's ass on the EPL. Yeah, I have some affinity for Liverpool when I was younger but I am more into the local league.. true blue Selangor Fan.
It's always great to have your team in town, but please, you are Malaysian first and MU fan second.
I need not elaborate, the Malaysian coach K. Rajagobal has said it all about how the stadium was silent when Amri Yayhah (yeay, Selangor player!) scored the equalizer.
3. The Fall from 14th floor. Please la stop politicizing this issue and let the police do their job.
1. MU -the By Election, not the football club (though more of that later in this post). So, as expected BN lost again to PAS. But what was not expected was the slim margin by which PAS retained the seat. In one of the online news portal, PAS was very confident of garnering a majority of at least 2,000 votes and with voters turnout of more than 85%, it was a possible. However, it never happened and PAS (and PR too) start to throw this accusation of money being handed out by the BN etc.
Oh, come on lah...
2. MU, the football team. No, I am not a supporter of MU and I don't really give a rat's ass on the EPL. Yeah, I have some affinity for Liverpool when I was younger but I am more into the local league.. true blue Selangor Fan.
It's always great to have your team in town, but please, you are Malaysian first and MU fan second.
I need not elaborate, the Malaysian coach K. Rajagobal has said it all about how the stadium was silent when Amri Yayhah (yeay, Selangor player!) scored the equalizer.
3. The Fall from 14th floor. Please la stop politicizing this issue and let the police do their job.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Logistics Update
Excerpts from Starbiz, The Star Jul 7, '09
"Trans-Asia Shipping Corp Bhd (TASCO) plans to buy a property for RM41.8mil from JVC Manufacturing Malaysia Sdn Bhd in Shah Alam for use as a logistics centre"
Is this the JVC plant near the famous JVC roundabout in Shah Alam ? Another factory closing shop?
On the other hand, that piece of property is perfect for TASCO's logistics hub.
My own logistics hub ? Hmmm... visit this blog again in 5 years and we'll see :)
"Trans-Asia Shipping Corp Bhd (TASCO) plans to buy a property for RM41.8mil from JVC Manufacturing Malaysia Sdn Bhd in Shah Alam for use as a logistics centre"
Is this the JVC plant near the famous JVC roundabout in Shah Alam ? Another factory closing shop?
On the other hand, that piece of property is perfect for TASCO's logistics hub.
My own logistics hub ? Hmmm... visit this blog again in 5 years and we'll see :)
My First REAL Home Made Pizza
I finally made my own pizza from scratch.
I am just crazy over pizza. My whole family can attest to it.
The ready made pizza base and using ready-made pasta sauce just won't cut it for me, so I decided to surf the net and search for recipe for making pizza dough and pizza sauce.
Just to cut it short, I tried both recipe and it worked out beautifully!
Here's for more home made pizza to come!
I am just crazy over pizza. My whole family can attest to it.
The ready made pizza base and using ready-made pasta sauce just won't cut it for me, so I decided to surf the net and search for recipe for making pizza dough and pizza sauce.
Just to cut it short, I tried both recipe and it worked out beautifully!
Here's for more home made pizza to come!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Limiting the A's
Sometime last week, someone wrote to the NST and said that there shouldn't be a limit to the subjects that a student can take for the SPM as this "would hinder the students capabilities esp for those who are academically gifted"
Huh ?
If you really want to develop these kids and challenge their mind, it is certainly not by taking irrelevant subjects and scoring A's. Rather than someone who is good in science taking some meaningless subject, why not introduce something like, say Advance Physics or "Additional" Additional Mathematics.
Wouldn't the A's they score in this subject righfully put them in a better position when it comes to scholarship pursuit ?
Huh ?
If you really want to develop these kids and challenge their mind, it is certainly not by taking irrelevant subjects and scoring A's. Rather than someone who is good in science taking some meaningless subject, why not introduce something like, say Advance Physics or "Additional" Additional Mathematics.
Wouldn't the A's they score in this subject righfully put them in a better position when it comes to scholarship pursuit ?
Friday, April 10, 2009
Golf
I certainly do not qualify as a weekend golfer, as I don't really golf on weekends.
I normally take a day off and play a round of golf whenever Lone is back from Singapore.
Hmmm, considering my game with Lone and Don yesterday at KGPA, I think it will be good for me to talk to Irwan and ask him to help with my swing. I can certainly do better.
Wouldn't want Haris to beat up my a** when he starts picking up golf kan ?
I normally take a day off and play a round of golf whenever Lone is back from Singapore.
Hmmm, considering my game with Lone and Don yesterday at KGPA, I think it will be good for me to talk to Irwan and ask him to help with my swing. I can certainly do better.
Wouldn't want Haris to beat up my a** when he starts picking up golf kan ?
Saturday, April 04, 2009
1 Malaysia
The concept of 1 Malaysia should be understood in a bigger context. Its about all Malaysians working towards one goal and uniting under one common bond; of that being a Malayian.
If you want to talk about political equality, why don't we talk about economic equality too? If you want to talk about power sharing, why don't we talk about economic sharing too?
If you want to talk about political equality, why don't we talk about economic equality too? If you want to talk about power sharing, why don't we talk about economic sharing too?
Friday, April 03, 2009
The Dawn Of A New Era ?
At 10.11am today, the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato' Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abd Razak officially took the oath of office before SBP YDP Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at the Istana Negara.
Congratulations to YAB Dato' Seri. You have made it to the pinnacle of your political career. But YAB Dato' Seri, on your shoulders now are the hopes of 27 million Malaysian (oppositions included, no puns intended). You took office at a very challenging time for the whole country.
Please look for a way to gain across political belief the support needed to ensure the country survive through this trying times.
Congratulations to YAB Dato' Seri. You have made it to the pinnacle of your political career. But YAB Dato' Seri, on your shoulders now are the hopes of 27 million Malaysian (oppositions included, no puns intended). You took office at a very challenging time for the whole country.
Please look for a way to gain across political belief the support needed to ensure the country survive through this trying times.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Next Step
Yesterday was the beginning of the UMNO General Assembly, the first since the disastrous performance of the 12th GE. I am basically apolitical but it this GA is something to my interest as the outcome of the various party post will determine the direction of the government, at least until the next GE.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Its that time of the year again
First and foremost, congratulations to the 6000 odd plus students who managed to get straight As in their SPM examination. Every year, we see an increasing number of students obtaining straight As.
Lets hope there are enough scholarship to go around, else we will be reading about the same grouses in the paper ... again
Lets hope there are enough scholarship to go around, else we will be reading about the same grouses in the paper ... again
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Let's All Work Together
No matter how much stimulus package is made available, it will not amount to anything if the execution is flawed and the benefit does not flow to the every day man on the street.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Not a criticism per se, just a friendly reminder to improve
I had quite a full day yesterday, running all over Shah Alam for banking (personal and company) and some initial market intelligence gathering (when times are like this, we just have to resort to creative ways to push our products, right?). Lunch was definitely something I was looking forward to, and I decided to try the Sate Ria outlet at the Risda building, a block away from Concorde Shah Alam.
I am sure some of you may recall SateRia from the early eighties. My memories of it is that of my parents taking me there after shopping at Jalan TAR and they served this two-stick gigantic satay which taste quite good too. It was suppose to be an effort to commercialize satay (these are the pre-Samuri days, but another great satay place at the time was at Sg Wang Plaza - Satay Anika) but unfortunately, the venture fizzled out and SateRia is no more.
The Sate Ria in Shah Alam is apparently the first outlet for the new Sate Ria franchaise. The last I check I did on the Malaysian Franchaise Association forum indicates that they are awating approval from the Registrar of Frainchaise (didnt know we have such body) and I assume the Shah Alam outlet is their Master Franchaiser's outlet. The logo is still the same and it is with that that I made my way enthusiastically to the outlet. Would they still have the gigantic two-stick satay.
Turns out that they don't. Before I elaborate further, let me run you through this simple timeline.
1300 hrs Enter Sate Ria
13o5 hrs A menu was handed to me and my order taken
1308 hrs A glass of "air suam" was served (a std fare)
1315 hrs My Ice Lemon tea was delivered
1335 hrs My plate of condiments (Nasi Himpit+bawang+timun) delivered. No explaination on
why my satay has not arrived
1352 hrs Manager apologized for the delay
1353 hrs My plate of satay (all ten sticks of it) delivered
It took them 50 minutes to have 10 sticks of satay delivered. Lets analyze the crowd. When I entered, there are two tables occupied. One table was occupied by two gentlemen who were wating for their food (since thay have their air bandung on the table) and the other table, a big group of ten people who were probably celebrating something. When I entered, the server was taking order from them. At that time too, the staff in the premises were as follows: 1 server, 1 cook, 1 kicthen helper and 1 cleaner. I do believe the lunch time rush starts at 12.30pm onwards right?
Besides their main menu of satay, they also serve items such as Laksa and various gravied noodle (I guess in line with their franchaise theme, cooking on site is kept to minimal). It shouldn't take long to serve e.g. laksa right ? I am sure you already have the gravy being heated all the time and all you need to do is to put together the rest of the ingredients in the bowl ? The large group of ten orderd both the satay and some noodles. I am sure even if all ten orders various types of noodle, it can all be delivered, latest by 1320 hrs ? It was not to be as even when my satay was served, bowls of noodles are still being delivered to the group. One reason given for the delay in my satay is the group of ten orders a big number of satay (by now, even the customer who came in after me were a bit annoyed). Assuming each of them ordered 10 sticks, thats only 100 sticks and being a SATAY restaurant, I am sure it can be easily fulfilled. By 1340 hrs, additional staff appeared but why would you have additional staff at the tail-end of your rush hour?
The satay is GOOD and that is something they should be proud of. Pure chicken meat, not "additives" etc (read:lemak and kulit).
I guess, I would really like to see them improve on the service. I would definitely come back for the satay but they really, really need to do something operationally.
I am sure some of you may recall SateRia from the early eighties. My memories of it is that of my parents taking me there after shopping at Jalan TAR and they served this two-stick gigantic satay which taste quite good too. It was suppose to be an effort to commercialize satay (these are the pre-Samuri days, but another great satay place at the time was at Sg Wang Plaza - Satay Anika) but unfortunately, the venture fizzled out and SateRia is no more.
The Sate Ria in Shah Alam is apparently the first outlet for the new Sate Ria franchaise. The last I check I did on the Malaysian Franchaise Association forum indicates that they are awating approval from the Registrar of Frainchaise (didnt know we have such body) and I assume the Shah Alam outlet is their Master Franchaiser's outlet. The logo is still the same and it is with that that I made my way enthusiastically to the outlet. Would they still have the gigantic two-stick satay.
Turns out that they don't. Before I elaborate further, let me run you through this simple timeline.
1300 hrs Enter Sate Ria
13o5 hrs A menu was handed to me and my order taken
1308 hrs A glass of "air suam" was served (a std fare)
1315 hrs My Ice Lemon tea was delivered
1335 hrs My plate of condiments (Nasi Himpit+bawang+timun) delivered. No explaination on
why my satay has not arrived
1352 hrs Manager apologized for the delay
1353 hrs My plate of satay (all ten sticks of it) delivered
It took them 50 minutes to have 10 sticks of satay delivered. Lets analyze the crowd. When I entered, there are two tables occupied. One table was occupied by two gentlemen who were wating for their food (since thay have their air bandung on the table) and the other table, a big group of ten people who were probably celebrating something. When I entered, the server was taking order from them. At that time too, the staff in the premises were as follows: 1 server, 1 cook, 1 kicthen helper and 1 cleaner. I do believe the lunch time rush starts at 12.30pm onwards right?
Besides their main menu of satay, they also serve items such as Laksa and various gravied noodle (I guess in line with their franchaise theme, cooking on site is kept to minimal). It shouldn't take long to serve e.g. laksa right ? I am sure you already have the gravy being heated all the time and all you need to do is to put together the rest of the ingredients in the bowl ? The large group of ten orderd both the satay and some noodles. I am sure even if all ten orders various types of noodle, it can all be delivered, latest by 1320 hrs ? It was not to be as even when my satay was served, bowls of noodles are still being delivered to the group. One reason given for the delay in my satay is the group of ten orders a big number of satay (by now, even the customer who came in after me were a bit annoyed). Assuming each of them ordered 10 sticks, thats only 100 sticks and being a SATAY restaurant, I am sure it can be easily fulfilled. By 1340 hrs, additional staff appeared but why would you have additional staff at the tail-end of your rush hour?
The satay is GOOD and that is something they should be proud of. Pure chicken meat, not "additives" etc (read:lemak and kulit).
I guess, I would really like to see them improve on the service. I would definitely come back for the satay but they really, really need to do something operationally.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
The Bangkok Trip
I left for Bangkok last thursday for a meeting with our partner Kamol and a very lucrative potential business partner who is also flying in from KL to meet up with Kamol. Our first meeting was in KL sometime in December and this time, he would like to meet up with us in Bangkok to assess our operational capabilities before proceeding to the next step.
My flight was the first flight out to Bangkok on Air Asia, AK880 departing at 7.50am. Ayah has his routine IJN check up on that day, so Kak Ngah took the day off and followed him. So, early thursday morning at around 5.50am, all of us drove to LCCT to drop me off while ayah send Mak to her office before proceeding to IJN with K Ngah. Boarding time was at 7.20am and by the time I checked in, it was already 6.45am, so I decided to enter the departure hall and perform my Subuh prayer at the surau inside.
Th flight was 3/4 full, but I still managed to "conquer" three seats to myself, heheh... As usual, I will have the Pak Nasir Nasi Lemak for breakfast (which I never failed to do whenever I am on Air Asia but I do feel that the taste is not the same as before). The flight arrived on time at 8.50am Bangkok time and since there were only a handful of flight that morning, Immigration was a breeze. Caught the public taxi at Gate 10 and headed off to Baiyoke Suite at Pratunam area. I reached there around 10am but managed to check in (its ayah's "official" hotel for his monthly meeting and golf excursions, hence the early check in privilage and good rates) and I was given the room on the 29th floor. I like this hotel because the last time I was here during the fasting month, they actually prepared "sahur" for me.
I then took a taxi to Kamol's office on Suksavithaya Road (off Silom Soi 9). It was my first visit to the office since they shifted and its actually not bad at all. From there, Kamol and I drove to the airport to pick up our guest who flew in on MAS (well, with RM150 million annual sales, travelling full service airline is not a problem:). While waiting for him, Kamol remarked that tourist seemed to be coming back to Bangkok, judging from the number of people we saw arriving. After around 30minutes waiting, we met Mr C and exchanged pleasentaries. Of course, among my first question to him was about latest development on the Perak state government fiasco.
To save time (Mr C has other appointments too), we arrange for lunch at the office where Kamol's assistant bought some Briyani from the Halal restaurant behind the office. The foodwas not bad at all and after everyone has settled down, it was down to business. The meeting went well and we presented some radical ideas which I am pretty sure Mr C did not expect but he seemed to be considering it. Once our meeting was over, we sent Mr C to his hotel and after that that Kamol sent me back to Baiyoke.
My flight was the first flight out to Bangkok on Air Asia, AK880 departing at 7.50am. Ayah has his routine IJN check up on that day, so Kak Ngah took the day off and followed him. So, early thursday morning at around 5.50am, all of us drove to LCCT to drop me off while ayah send Mak to her office before proceeding to IJN with K Ngah. Boarding time was at 7.20am and by the time I checked in, it was already 6.45am, so I decided to enter the departure hall and perform my Subuh prayer at the surau inside.
Th flight was 3/4 full, but I still managed to "conquer" three seats to myself, heheh... As usual, I will have the Pak Nasir Nasi Lemak for breakfast (which I never failed to do whenever I am on Air Asia but I do feel that the taste is not the same as before). The flight arrived on time at 8.50am Bangkok time and since there were only a handful of flight that morning, Immigration was a breeze. Caught the public taxi at Gate 10 and headed off to Baiyoke Suite at Pratunam area. I reached there around 10am but managed to check in (its ayah's "official" hotel for his monthly meeting and golf excursions, hence the early check in privilage and good rates) and I was given the room on the 29th floor. I like this hotel because the last time I was here during the fasting month, they actually prepared "sahur" for me.
I then took a taxi to Kamol's office on Suksavithaya Road (off Silom Soi 9). It was my first visit to the office since they shifted and its actually not bad at all. From there, Kamol and I drove to the airport to pick up our guest who flew in on MAS (well, with RM150 million annual sales, travelling full service airline is not a problem:). While waiting for him, Kamol remarked that tourist seemed to be coming back to Bangkok, judging from the number of people we saw arriving. After around 30minutes waiting, we met Mr C and exchanged pleasentaries. Of course, among my first question to him was about latest development on the Perak state government fiasco.
To save time (Mr C has other appointments too), we arrange for lunch at the office where Kamol's assistant bought some Briyani from the Halal restaurant behind the office. The foodwas not bad at all and after everyone has settled down, it was down to business. The meeting went well and we presented some radical ideas which I am pretty sure Mr C did not expect but he seemed to be considering it. Once our meeting was over, we sent Mr C to his hotel and after that that Kamol sent me back to Baiyoke.
We were supposed to have dinner with Mr C but since he already has some prior engagement, Kamol will have dinner with him tomorrow night as I will be flying back to KL on the 3.10pm flight. After resting for a while (and watching the movie "American Gangster" on HBO), I headed for Al-Maidah Restaurant, a Halal place just behind the hotel. Al-Maidah can a bit pricey but the food is good and the portion is quite huge. After having the Naan and roast chicken, I walked to the nearby 7 Eleven (they seemed to have it at every corner) and bought some drinking water and tid bits. Then, its back to the hotel and a good night sleep.
I woke up just in time to perform the Subuh prayers. Breakfast is at the Sky Lounge on the 43rd floor and view from there is simply marvellous. After breakfast, I decided to walk around the many shops around the hotel area though a lot of them are only started to open. I wish I had more time but well, I am here for work, so I checked out early and headed to the office.
Friday, January 30, 2009
To Sum Up The Week
- The whole family went back to Melaka during the Chinese New Year break (more details at babychikjournal.blogspot.com). As usual, a lot of thoughts were put to making sure the journey will not be spent too much on the road and indeed the journey was really pleasent. Are there less people going back to their home towns or a lot of them are taking advantage of Plus' offer of discount for travelling during off-peak period ?
- My son reached a very important milestone this week - dah boleh meniarap! He seemed pleased with his newfound abilities and been at it for most of the time!
- Driving to work on Wednesday-Friday was truly heavenly. Barely any traffic on the road.
- Met up with an old friend from my primary school days. I haven't met Yong Sean since after the SPM examinations. Even when I was in MCKK, we would meet up during our school break. A lot of catching up took place and since Singapore is just a bus ride away, I could always look him whenever I am next in the Lion City.
- The online store is on track for launch Feb 1, 2009. Get ready for it :)
- Also, its time to put something from the past behind.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I am 34 today
I turn 34 today. My wife would be laughing when reading this as I have been telling her that every year my age will be a year less than it actually is :)
Also today is the inaugration of Mr Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. I remember watching "Are you smarter than a Fifth Grader?" where one of the question is on the inaugration date and it was told that January 20th was the date since 1937.
Also today is the inaugration of Mr Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. I remember watching "Are you smarter than a Fifth Grader?" where one of the question is on the inaugration date and it was told that January 20th was the date since 1937.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Physically... me
Its already the second week of 2009, with 50 more weeks to go. 2008 wasn't such a bad year (especially with the birth of the apple of my eyes:) but really hoping for 2009 to be a better one. Good signs are there but with the current economic situation, it will be more challenging than before.
Year in year out, there is always this one thing that will be on top of the list. Lose the pounds, brother. Again, year in and year, not happening as planned :)
I am not in the best of shape, when it comes to fitness. By weight and girth of the tummy, I would be catergorized to have in risk in god-knows how many types of disease, hehe! Not to forget the history of heart problem and hypertension in the family.
Every year I resolved to shed those unwanted (and un-neeeded) pounds and its not because I want to fit into some old Dockers pants (it'll be nice to fit in those, though) but its because I know that the longer I am in this current physical shape, the more risk I am taking with my health. True, ajal maut di tangan Allah but I do want to live long enough to see Amir Haris (and insya Allah, his siblings) grow up and become a Muslim that I would be proud of.
Now, where is that nice Docker Pants that I could fit if I lose another 5kg ? Heheh...
Year in year out, there is always this one thing that will be on top of the list. Lose the pounds, brother. Again, year in and year, not happening as planned :)
I am not in the best of shape, when it comes to fitness. By weight and girth of the tummy, I would be catergorized to have in risk in god-knows how many types of disease, hehe! Not to forget the history of heart problem and hypertension in the family.
Every year I resolved to shed those unwanted (and un-neeeded) pounds and its not because I want to fit into some old Dockers pants (it'll be nice to fit in those, though) but its because I know that the longer I am in this current physical shape, the more risk I am taking with my health. True, ajal maut di tangan Allah but I do want to live long enough to see Amir Haris (and insya Allah, his siblings) grow up and become a Muslim that I would be proud of.
Now, where is that nice Docker Pants that I could fit if I lose another 5kg ? Heheh...
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Gaza... are we just sitting here doing nothing ?
Are we?
The scenes on the TV during news everyday really breaks the heart. For innocent children to go through such deathly and traumatic experience is totally unacceptable. Israel is nothing but a war-crazy county hell-bent at obliterating the people of Gaza from their rightful land.
The scenes on the TV during news everyday really breaks the heart. For innocent children to go through such deathly and traumatic experience is totally unacceptable. Israel is nothing but a war-crazy county hell-bent at obliterating the people of Gaza from their rightful land.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Multi Lingual
At best I am only bilingual : Bahasa Malaysia and English.
Rightfully, I should be able to command three more languages: Arabic, French & Mandarin.
Back in MCKK, we were asked to choose between Japanese and Arabic as our third language. I am not really sure what made me choose Arabic (I do believe I was trying to be more Islamic at that time, hehe) but I did quite well in my first two years. It helped that I had one year of Arabic at the "sekolah agama petang" so in form one, it made me look good ! However, as I moved up form (with SRP being the priority in form 3), I was neglecting the language and when I did took the SRP Arabic Paper in form 4, I was pratically marking the multiple choice answer sheet without actually reading the questions. Rugi tak belajar dulu...
In PPP/ITM, I took French. Yes, the thought of mastering the language of romance was a good enough reason to learn it. It was two semesters of "berbelit lidah" but I had so much fun learning it. Our teacher even gave us frenc name and mine was Jacque. It sounded cool, until I found out that Jacque in France is as common as Ali in Malaysia (No offence to the Alis, ya?) Lack of practice (yea la, kat mana nak pakai French in Malaysia ni ?) slowly diminish whatever proficiency I have in that language. Rugi tak practice...
I started work in 1998 and took my masters a year later. After completing my masters, perhaps due to lack of active social life (read: NO girlfriend), I decided to take the Mandarin class offered by the Language Academy of UiTM. At that time, I have two salesperson under me who are chinese-educated Malays and I thought with them around, I could at last have somebody to practice with. I took three semesters of Mandarin (which means that I am half-way through the Intermediate stage) and I was having a good time surprising some of my suppliers and clients when I spoke to them in simple Mandarin :)
Alas, due to lack of practice (my two salesperson left for greener pastures)... you know how this ends :)
Rightfully, I should be able to command three more languages: Arabic, French & Mandarin.
Back in MCKK, we were asked to choose between Japanese and Arabic as our third language. I am not really sure what made me choose Arabic (I do believe I was trying to be more Islamic at that time, hehe) but I did quite well in my first two years. It helped that I had one year of Arabic at the "sekolah agama petang" so in form one, it made me look good ! However, as I moved up form (with SRP being the priority in form 3), I was neglecting the language and when I did took the SRP Arabic Paper in form 4, I was pratically marking the multiple choice answer sheet without actually reading the questions. Rugi tak belajar dulu...
In PPP/ITM, I took French. Yes, the thought of mastering the language of romance was a good enough reason to learn it. It was two semesters of "berbelit lidah" but I had so much fun learning it. Our teacher even gave us frenc name and mine was Jacque. It sounded cool, until I found out that Jacque in France is as common as Ali in Malaysia (No offence to the Alis, ya?) Lack of practice (yea la, kat mana nak pakai French in Malaysia ni ?) slowly diminish whatever proficiency I have in that language. Rugi tak practice...
I started work in 1998 and took my masters a year later. After completing my masters, perhaps due to lack of active social life (read: NO girlfriend), I decided to take the Mandarin class offered by the Language Academy of UiTM. At that time, I have two salesperson under me who are chinese-educated Malays and I thought with them around, I could at last have somebody to practice with. I took three semesters of Mandarin (which means that I am half-way through the Intermediate stage) and I was having a good time surprising some of my suppliers and clients when I spoke to them in simple Mandarin :)
Alas, due to lack of practice (my two salesperson left for greener pastures)... you know how this ends :)
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
2009
Its the first week of 2009 and with so many gloomy predictions on the economic climate for 2009, one tends to think that things just look almost impossible. A lot of industries has already felt the brunt of the downturn and even my small business is not spared the repurcussion : cargo movement at the port seemed to be slowing down.
In spite of it all, I truly believe that in times of crisis, there is always opportunity available for those who are willing to look hard for it.
In spite of it all, I truly believe that in times of crisis, there is always opportunity available for those who are willing to look hard for it.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Prefect Leadership Programme : MCKK
I have lost count the number of times I have gone back to Kuala Kangsar at the beginning of new year to play a small part in the leadership programme for the school prefects. I was among the first participant when it started in '92. Although there are some old boys who made fun of our effort but hey, this is one way I am giving back to the school, so buzz off :) Its heartening to see a group of young men with so much potential and not afraid to speak their mind.
This year, managed to sneak two golf games during our free time too :) Played a round at Taiping Golf Resort and another one a the KK Golf Club. Unfortunately the course was a bit soggy due to heavy rain during the week.
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