Nine Years...

...of Nina

It is the second year running Nina's birthday falls during the holy month of Ramadhan.

Despite the fasting month, it does not stop us from celebrating the occasion.

It is just a simple event, we just go out after the final Terawih of 1431 Hijrah and buy a simple cake.

Nina is happy with the cake and just like her during her baby years, the attraction to cakes and candles is the same for Lisa.

With Che joining in and recites the doa and has a piece of the cake, it is certainly a moment to remember.

Nina as usual, enjoys her cake to the fullest.


...

Deterioration...

...in The Tropix.

It was the Merdeka Eve and mad redo1 felt like going out for a drink with the roomey. It has been a few days now that he feels like drinking all the time even though he does not feel it so much during the day (thank God for that).

Thus we went out around an hour before midnight and decided to use the Pulau Kambing route. As Nizam Akulat has informed us earlier through Facebook, there was a free makan-makan session for the Kuala Terengganu Parliamentary constituent, an event called Sahur Merdeka 2010 at the Waterfront.

We did not feel like mixing our night with political agenda thus mad redo1 drove on through the Chinatown which was not really that crowded except for bicycle riding teenagers, some were draped with the 'Jalur Gemilang' even though none was equipped any safety apparatus (reflectors, helmets, etc) which was quite sad, showing the lack of safety concern among our youngsters.

Our assumption was Shahbandar would be crowded with people thus we headed to Batu Buruk Beach. The road leading to the beach itself was already jammed with vehicles going there. In the end we drove through the one way street in front of the food stall before making a left turn to the Tropix Bistro.

It has been a while since mad redo1 been there. It must have been more than nine months now (if Linda had conceived since the last time we were there, mad redo1 would be waiting for the fourth AKS now) since our last visit.

The bistro which started on a good note in terms of service and presentation has deteriorated to a level of just a kampung cafe. All the waiters and waitress no longer sporting the uniform which made them look immaculate a while ago.

The fruit smoothies that we ordered tasted too sweet that despite adding another glass of plain water mad redo1 could still taste the sweetness in them. To add further insult the smoothies did not have a trace of fruit in it, something you sort of expected at this kind of establishment.

However, the insult did not stop there. They took ages to tell us that an order was not available which we replaced with another. When the food arrived it was served on a dish that have seen better days, again an insult to a customer who felt really short-changed. And much to the astonishment of mad redo1 and Linda, when we asked for a ketchup or tomato sauce as Nina does not like the chili sauce they informed us they do not have that kind of sauce there.

What?!

Anyway, we made do with the mayonnaise that they sent to us instead. However credit must be given where it is due. The Ginger Koay Teow that mad redo1 ordered did not disappoint.

After finishing all the meals we decided to head for home. The roads were still jammed but it was more due operations carried out by the police to ensure a safe Merdeka for everybody. Kudos to them who had to make such sacrifices.

...

Reunion...

...at Three Junction

It was a few days ago when mad redo1 received a sms from Nizam asking him to join him for an Iftar in conjunction with the re-surfacing of Azlan Zahari Zahid or better known among the SMSD circle as Lan BJ.

The date was set for Monday 23-08-2010.

mad redo1 has no problem with the date and happily agreed.

The day arrived and mad redo1 picked Nizam up at his home with his trusty Mortimer. Nobody else was around and we decided to stroll around the Chabang Tiga Ramadhan Bazaar looking for delicacies for the Iftar.

Then a call from Eskay announcing her arrival and the three of us proceeded with the shopping for kueh. Nizam and mad redo1 then bumped into a former schoolmate from primary school, Mat Arif who was shopping with her son. He still maintain his boyish looks even though his eleven year old son is already at the same height as him.

After the completion of the shopping Nizam called BJ and it turned out that he was sleeping in his car while waiting for us. Both Nizam and mad redo1 'reprimanded' him for not calling us earlier as either one of us could provide a better environment to rest his bums.

Then Abu Hasmadi arrived and followed a short while later by Narihas and the loves of her life. Not much later Hilmi showed up with his entourage which should bode well for the future of the bowling sports in Terengganu.

With everybody was in place, the reminiscing began interjected with a few current issues especially the firecracker tragedy which occurred less than a kilometre from the place where we were having our Iftar.

Credit to Nizam for his choice of meals and much thanks to Eskay for being a good hostess. It was good to be among friends again and hopefully there will be more similar events in the future.

...

Wet Beginning...

...to the New Year!

mad redo1 fell asleep about an hour before midnight thus missing the countdown and all that go with it. He also missed the partial lunar eclipse that was supposed to appear from 1.17am until 5.30 in the morning.

He did wake up just after five but the sound of rain falling outside his room took away all his hopes of seeing the last bit of the partial lunar eclipse. Thus he did the best next thing to do, or to his room-mate the best thing to do, pull the cover over the head and enjoy the cool morning in dreamland.

But even the best sojourn to dreamland could not match the pang from the stomach. Grudgingly we stumbled out from our bed and a while later were on our way to find something for our stomachs.

The first choice was the popular Kari Asha. Obviously it was a mistake as it was that popular that you could not find any table even at 11 in the morning. It seemed everybody decided to wake up at the same time today.

Anyway we finally settled for another popular eatery nearby Masjid Ladang. They had ran out of dough for my favourite roti canai/telur thus I had to settle for a plate of nasi lemak instead.

Then on the way back this big billboard attracted my attention. It was the second anniversary of Kuala Terengganu being declared as a city. For many of us it is still felt like a city only in its name with many infra-structures are still lacking. The only thing that we feel like living in the city is the price of foods and other items, to the extent that a few of them are more expensive than those in the Klang Valley.

Anyway, Happy 2nd Birthday kT City!

and a Happy New Year 2010 too to everybody out there.


...

Lunch...

...at The Edge.

Today we had lunch at Bbeteng, the cafe the Islamic Civilisation Park at Wan Man Island.

This time Che followed us there.

It was a rare occasion as Che rarely does that as she prefers to stay at home.

We had Chicken Beriyani, Mamak Fried Noodles and of course the all time favourite keropok.

It was a good lunch, especially having Che in the company.

...

Unlucky...

...Thirteen? Lets Hope Not!

mad redo1 and Linda celebrated their thirteenth anniversary on Saturday. The cliche phrase of 'how time flies' will be used here. It is the truth on how we feel since the moment when we were declared officially as husband and wife. Of course we have been blessed with three wonderful offsprings who we hope will grow up to be wonderful human beings.

It was quite a surprise for mad redo1 when Linda brought him to do some shopping and instead of for her, it was for him! A wonderful gift that mad redo1 hopes to use as frequently as possible on the futsal courts.

Thank you bebey!

In the evening we went for our Anniversary dinner at the Permai Inn Hotel, where they have relocated their restaurant to the newly built wing.

 

The spacious restaurant certainly made a good impression to Che' and Berg who seemed to enjoy the ambiance. Unfortunately it was not to last when the resident band who goes by the name 'Fast' began playing.

 

They played the usual stuff, a repertoire of evergreen and latest hits. Unfortunately the sound system was poorly set resulting the noise level being too high to the extent that we had to raise our voice when talking to one another, and we were seating at the far end of the restaurant.

 

We ordered the western side of the menu with mad redo1 having the sirloin steak while his room-mate ordered the tenderloin. Both were served in black pepper sauce.

 

The rest of the 'entourage' ordered fish and chips while Berg maintained her Asian roots by ordering the 'char kuey teow'. For dessert we shared the traditionally popular banana split. Nina was more excited in getting the miniature  umbrella rather than the ice-cream itself.

Overall the evening was a good one for mad redo1 and the rest of the family. Hopefully the celebration will be bigger in number and the love will just keep going on till the end.

...

The First...

...of Many.

Today is mad redo1's birthday. As usual for birthdays people will associate the special day with receiving gifts from people who care. However, for this birthday mad redo1 wishes for something special, something that is totally out of his hands.

Today happens to be the day the result for the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) is announced. Khadijah a.k.a. AKS#1 sat for the test over a month ago. Perhaps it is true that Malaysia is a country with many tests for the youngsters to go through before reaching adulthood. Even now when you are an adult there are quite a substantial number of tests and examinations that you have to go through, especially in the government sector.

Thus the UPSR is the first of many for Khadijah to sit during the course of her life and as a parent mad redo1 wishes to see his first child to pass it with flying colours. If she does then it will be the perfect birthday gift for mad redo1 (for this year).

It has been raining since the last few days to the extent that the Meteorological Department has issued the 'Orange' alert for Terengganu and Kelantan. When mad redo1, Linda and the younger AKSes reach the school they are greeted with light drizzle. The head-master of the school has already started calling the students and announcing their results.

It is not a long wait for mad redo1 and Linda.

The heart begins to beat a little faster when Khadijah's name is called. Then the head-master announces "5A!" and the same heart jumps with joy. At the end of the announcement, there are 45 pupils on stage who have achieved 5As.

mad redo1 remembers when the result was announced for the 'Penilaian Darjah 5' test which he sat, there were just 11 who managed to obtain 5As. It was a shock to the system for him as he was predicting a 4As and a B but it was a good shock nonetheless.

As it turns out, Khadijah is part of bunch that put Terengganu at the top of the pile again in term of success in the UPSR.

The good news travels fast and Linda's brother Poppy announces that lunch is on him as  the way to celebrate. Furthermore it is also mad redo1's birthday. To add another joy to the day, Linda's mother receives the 'Ibu Mithali' award in the morning during a ceremony.

In a way it is a 'three in one' celebration for everybody.

The place to celebrate? The newly opened McDonald's 'Drive-Thru' Restaurant near Giant. Today is indeed a good day and mad redo1 hopes there will be more days like this in the future.

Of course this success is not possible without the hard work from all concerned, especially the teachers at SKPCT who poured everything in their efforts to ensure their charges would be able to do their best during their first major test. Thank you very much.

Heartiest congratulations Berg!  May there will be more success for you in the future.

...

Driving Through...

...All Day, All Night!

Finally kT received another upgrade as a city when McDonald's opened its first 'drive thru' restaurant this week. First of all, congratulations to my former house-mate at ITM Dungun, Encik Azmi or better known as Mi-O on the successful opening of the restaurant, which certainly enhanced his reputation an astute businessman.

The AKSes, especially Nina have been counting down the days when it would be open. Firstly, the bunting saying the 'drive-thru' will be opened soon. A couple of days ago we saw the 'open now' bunting has been hanged on the lamp posts around town.

Thus, the pestering started.

Finally last night after doing a mini shopping at Sabasun Hyper-Market mad redo1 decided to drop by and tested the 'drive-thru' facility. Please take note that this was not by any mean our first visit to a drive thru, merely our first visit to the one in kT.

The whole process took less than five minutes. Perhaps due to the fact it was not a weekend and it was not during peak hour. Well, with the restaurant located around 1.5km from mad redo1's house and it opens for 24 hour (maybe the drive-thru only), the probability of him driving there in odd hours in the morning is quite high, really.

Whatever it is, I'm loving it!

...