First day of School

Yesterday was the first day of school/kindy for many school going children in Malaysia. 

My daughter asked me a day before school reopened how she fared on her first day of school. I recalled that she was overwhelmed by the large number of children in her kindergarten I'd enrolled her in Johor Bahru. She was quiet, shy but she did not cry. However, she kept looking out for me for reassurance that everything will be alright. For reassurance, I took a few days off just to ensure that all is well before starting work in a brand new year. Afterall, it's my firstborn embarking on her new journey in life. A few days off is worth every penny. I must say that she has done well academically and is now gainfully employed, for the time being, with the Ministry of Health. 
Due to Rocker57's career, we were relocated couple of times. Hence, my daughter had attended 2 kindergartens and two secondary schools. The last relocation was the hardest as she had by then spent 11 years in Seremban and was reluctant to start over again. After much persuasion, reassurance and much convincing, she finally accepted. And now, she says she's glad that we made that move.
My son on the other hand was a cute one. First day at kindergarten, Rocker57 and I left the premises after we were sure that he had settled in. We returned to check on him during his recess. He actually hid behind a tree when he saw us. After some cajoling, he came out, wave his hands and asked us to "go home, go home"!! That's one brave lad, I tell you.

He openly accepted the relocation to Subang when he was 13. My daughter shared that she was envious that her brother could easily make new friends in the new school. Guess, he does have my 'social' genes :)   He has adapted well and presently still in Uni.

Flashback to 1975, I remember having to watch over my youngest brother when he entered into kindergarten. A shy, quiet and lonely lad, he was traumatised! I had to 'attend' classes (sitting outside the class) with him for almost a month or so. He was 7 years my junior and my other younger brother was 5 years his senior. He was too young to play with us, so he was mostly left on his own. Perhaps, that's why he was traumatised with the hoo-hah and lots of noisy, rowdy kids screaming and crying. 

I recall that my brother was bitten a few times by a gusty feisty girl! Now, that girl had bitten almost all the boys in her class! She wasn't afraid of no one. Even her mom was called to the headmistress office but the saga continues. Hmmm....wonder where she is now? Mind you, her bites leave huge dental prints on the boys hands & bodies! You can imagine how hard she bites! OUCH!!

It's good to reminiscent, lest Alzheimer sets in...then I can go to my blog and recollect my past. Ahhh...a simple question, yet an enriching recollection. Am glad my databank is still running well. Great kick start to 2012!

NEW YEAR RIDE : JB & MELAKA (Part 2)

Rocker collected our luggage from the concierge & we checked into our room. Eh, something isn't right! Did we enter into a wrong room or were we upgraded? The room has transformed!! I liked it immediately. 

Cozy, practical & tastefully decorated.

they even had a dressing table!

The room was cozy, warm lights, soft yet firm beds and so inviting that Rocker57 took a shower and went straight to bed!
After the siesta, we waited to be picked up by my former colleague, Winnie and her two sons for dinner.
Winnie and I do not like duck meat but I managed to convince her to try this one. Strangely, a local Johorean, she has NEVER ever heard of Duck Mee in Skudai. Of course I can understand since her favourite is "Ker Tiaw Keah" (thinly sliced kueh tiaw noodles with pig innards)....here little piggy....my Winnie BABE. I love you, gal - muaks!!
So, this manual GPS guided her to a place I've not visited in over a decade! A small wrong turn, detour and we were outside the shop in a jiffy. The GPS maybe a bit rusty but still usable! 

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Skudai Duck Mee, corner lot. A lot has changed since I last visited (the outlet, its surrounding but let me savour the food to decide if ALL else has changed).
We ordered duck meat for 5, braised groundnuts, braised intestine (dunno source of intestine, either pig or duck), vegy and braised eggs with 2 pieces of bean curd. Soups are complimentary and served hot! Let me tugged in!

Our spread at Skudai Duck Mee

Winnie was amazed that the duck meat was tender, moist and doesn't reek of the ducky smell. AHA....trip worth the trouble. Knowing she is a feisty gal that loves hot & spicy stuff, I recommended her to accompany her food with the chili sauce provided. Homemade recipe, the chili sauce is spicy, sourish, savoury and tangy all in one. It complements the dishes well. Her kids Aaron and Brandon tried and immediately got hooked!! It was a great meal and certainly a splendid get together with old friends.
Just before noon the following morning, we were in Melaka Raya waiting for Nadeje to open up. Ever the greedy one, I ordered 3 Millie crepe cakes - green tea, mocha chocolate & orange chocolate. Latte for Rocker57 and Cappuccino for myself. 

our millie crepe cakes

On second thoughts, let's do lunch as well. So, we ordered Penne Arabiatta. One each for the both of us. What a shocker I got when our pasta was served. It came with Miso soup and a small salad. Errr....odd right? Japanese soup with Italian pasta? Still baffled what made the chef come up with such combination?

Latte & Cappuccino

Pasta, Miso soup & salad

The cakes were obviously heavenly. Taste wise, me being a green tea addict obviously thinks the green tea Millie Crepe cake is supreme, followed by Mocha Chocolate and finally the orange chocolate. The orange chocolate lacks the oomph and tanginess. Also, it lacks the orangey flavour.
The Miso soup was good. Comes with a generous serving of seaweed, my favourite too. The salad was bland with too much mayonnaise & soft potatoes. I would have preferred tomato or carrot to go with Romaine lettuce to get the crunchy feel and more greens as oppose to an overdose of carbo. The Arabiatta sauce was not spicy, lacking in punch like the one served in Pizza hut. They were a tad stingy on the sauce, my Penne pasta looked dehydrated that I had to 'steal' Rocker57 sauce. But then again, I've been known to flood my food with gravy, sauces and chili sauce...so, my bad!
About to leave for Subang, and.....OI!!! OI!! who do we see. Rocker57's former colleague and our housemate in JB. What a small world indeed. In a population of about 600,000 in whole of Melaka, we meet Gan and his daughter!
A 15minutes catch up, exchange of name cards and Vrrrooom....the highways are calling!!! Vrrroooom...live to rideeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
 
 

NEW YEAR RIDE : Johor Baru & Melaka (Part 1)

Happy New Year!!

I had a great kick start to 2012. Rocker57 & I started our ride to JB (Johor Baru) at about 7.15am. By 8.30am, we were having breakfast at the Air Keroh R&R. A cuppa each & a plate of nasi lemak(shared as we were on an eating spree) and then we were off to JB. Made two pit stops before checking in to New York hotel. Rooms not ready, no problem! We went to visit our dear old family friend Low & his wife Jacklin. After a quick chit-chat, we went in search for lunch (about noon). I wanted to savour my favourite beggar's chicken in Sentosa. Along the way, we got distracted & decided to have beef ball noodle instead. I'd not eaten here in years and long to taste it. Low & Rocker57 concurred and yes, thankfully the shop was open.  

The proprietor was resting, drinking coffee while reading the papers. Time must have stood still since I last patronized her outlet as the owner still looks the same, ditto to the outlet too! Now, it was her daughter who served us. I ordered vermicelli (dried version). It was served with 8 springy, beefy mouth-watering beef balls minus the beefy smell. I was on cloud 9!! The taste, texture and size of the beef-balls has remained unchanged! However, the price has risen in tandem with inflation, obviously. 

My fav beefball noodles in J

After the initial bite, I know I've really missed the beef balls! It was RM8 for my portion, worth every sen! In comparison to the ones I have in Quin, Kepayang Square in Seremban and King's in Seremban town, Hock Heng's beef balls are more springy and has less beefy smell. They are bigger is size too. For the price we paid - Awesome to the max!!
Back to Low's house for catching up on family and relatives. By 3pm...we were in search for tea-time. What better way to cool down in the hot weather then to eat my favourite tahu bakar (toasted bean curd stuffed with rojak sauce and bean sprouts) and a bowl of Ice Kacang. It was a stone throw away from Low's house.

Tahu bakar, Ice Kacang & Rojak Specialist

I had to have my tahu bakar but could only have 1 because I need to have space for my ice kacang. Jacklin said that they are also known for their rojak & Ice kacang. So we had to have that too. Apparently, this is the daughter of the stall that was situated near Wisma Persekutuan where I used to patronize decades ago. The crowd was maddening and we had to wait to be seated. Patience, patience....


Ahhh....first came the tahu bakar. Then the ice kacang and then the rojak. 

tahu bakar - 7 Heaven!!!

Ice Kacang - Superb!

The tahu bakar was splendid. Piping hot, crunchy, savoury and tasty to the last bite. A rush of nostalgia overcame me. Sent me reminiscing of my years in JB. 
The Ice Kacang was unique as it was served with an over-generous serving of melted chocolate. Makes the Ice Kacang so palatable as it wasn't sweet especially for me & Rocker57. An ardent red bean fan, the dessert would have been Class A had they tossed in more red beans for me. But, it was the perfect dessert to sooth away the afternoon heat. The rojak? Hah! you thought I had forgotten, eh? NO WAY.

The best thing I like of the rojak is the toasted "Yew Char Kueh" or chinese crullers. It adds a special chewy yet crunchy bite to the crullers. Again lavish serving of crushed peanuts. But, I must say, I still very much prefer the rojak in Bayu Timor; Taman Megah, PJ. Having said that, I must add that almost every table has the signature rojak. Well, perhaps they have yet to taste something better? Or perhaps that's what the locals like. Oh well....one man's meat is another man's poison.
It was only 4pm when we went back to Low's house to collect our bike & to finally check in. 
Check out the next blog to find out what was in-store for us.....patience, patience....