JUST ANOTHER TEACHER

SPOT THE ERROR 240

2026-11-04T10:31:44.725+08:00

❌ OPEN HOURS

✅ OPENING HOURS

❌ SUNDAY ARE CLOSED

✅ CLOSED ON SUNDAY

CHECKING IN AT KPJ BANDAR DATO ONN

2026-11-03T23:34:54.187+08:00

I was here in KPJ Bandar Dato Onn Hopsital - checking in for my sister who had a fall at home and got some bones fractured near the hip area.

Earlier, I had already reached the Emergency Unit at Hospital Sultanah Aminah but as I went out of the car to ask for a wheelchair and some help for my sister, I was told by the staff that there were no beds available. Without hesitation, I made up my mind to drive to KPJ Bandar Dato Onn and that I was glad I did that.

I will be here at the hospital for a few days and hopefully it will not be too long. My daily routine is going to change in a lot of ways after this. Pray to God I have the strength.

WATCHING A MUSICAL THEATRE IN XI'AN, CHINA

2026-11-01T22:06:22.513+08:00

4tH SEPTEMBER 2026 ~ The next activity in Xi'an after the historical tour of the Teracotta Army Complex was the musical theatre show. The title of the show was "The Legend of the Camel Bell". Only about three people of the group were not interested to watch the show.

Introduction session was something to do with traditional Chinese calligraphy painting.

Once the the lights of the hall were turned off, then the magic began. We were all impressed with the colourful and bright stage, and the high quality sound system made the experience unforgettable.

The Legend of the Camel Bell" is set against the backdrop of the Silk Road, recounting the thrilling experiences of camel caravans and the cultural exchanges among different nations. It serves as a vivid history lesson, bringing to life stories from the Silk Road thousands of years ago.

SOURCE: chinahighlights.com

From what I remember, there were two subplots. The first one was of a man leaving his lover to embark on the journey along the Silk Road, and was in the reunited with his love one. The other one was with a tragic ending. A son leaving his mother behind but was killed when he was attacked by ferocious wolves at one point along the way.

The stage rotated [or the seats moved] when there were changes of scenes. It was something like we have in Encore Melaka here but the one in Xi'an was much better.

The awesome element of the show was the presence of real live animals like the camels. The scene where there were angry wolves chasing and attacking the actors happened near the audience, in fact they were running along the aisles. We were just worried the worries would just jump and bite us instead.

It was worth the time and money spent. If you are in Xi'an and have any other activities, you should consider watching this theatre. I just checked and found out there are actually other shows at other venues as well.

I am about to upload a few of the videos recorded on YouTube as the files are too big to be uploaded direct in Blogspot. Will post the videos once they are ready.

[MY XI'AN TRIP MAIN PAGE]

INTRODUCING KACANG POOL HAJI TO A TESL FRIEND

2026-11-01T12:34:33.026+08:00

The mission of this morning gastronomic adventure was to introduce Kacang Pool Haji to a TESL friend from Kuala Lumpur. We set to meet at Selera Johor Food Court at 7:45 a.m. as the place was expected to be crowded on Sunday morning.

Fried Oyster Mushroom

Cekodok Pisang
[Banana Fritters]

Kacang Pool Haji

I am glad that Puan Hayati Burkhan liked her first attempt of having Kacang Pool, and she loved the Cekodok Pisang too. Mission accomplished. She and her husband had a flight to catch at 11:40 a.m. so we bade farewell for now. Hope to see them again some other time for other series of gastronomic adventures in Johor Bahru.

MEETING TWO TESL FRIENDS IN KAMPUNG MELAYU FOR DINNER

2026-10-31T23:12:03.223+08:00

Puan Hayati Burkhan was in town with her husband, Mr. Amin. They attended a wedding reception of a relative's in the afternoon in Kota Tinggi but was putting up the night in Johor Bahru. I was excited to introduce her to the local food for the first time. However, I met the husband in August for Kacang Pool when he was here [READ HERE].

I just took them to the food court in Kampung Melayu for its Murtabak at Murtabak Azo Food Court.

Puan Salmiah, another UPM TESL friend, and her daughter were also in Johor Bahru because they went to watch the Festival Zapin, a kind of traditional dance event. We invited her to join us and she happily obliged even though they were staying at Kota Iskandar area which was 30 minutes away from town without the traffic jam.

We had to bid each other "goodbye" by 9:30 p.m. as it had been a long they for these people from Kuala Lumpur/Selangor. There will be one more gastronomic adventure with Puan Hayati before she flies back to KL after that.

ATTENDING THE WEDDING RECEPTION OF MR. SYAFIQ MASTOR

2026-10-31T16:58:42.287+08:00

Another ex-student [of SMK Taman Universiti] held his wedding reception today, It was Mr. Muhammad Syafiq's turn to become someone's husband.

The event was held at Monet Garden by Diva, located somewhere near Taman Selesa Jaya. By now, I know the place already by heart and no need to use any navigation apps to get there.

Fried Banana

Puan Marina Abdullah, ex-colleague
of SMK Taman Universiti
and husband

I did not expect to meet quite a number of people at the wedding venue. One ex-colleague of SMK Taman Universiti and another one of SMK Dato' Jaafar. Then, there were a few ex-students of SMK Taman Universiti too, from different batches.

the groom's batch mates

Puan Mahani, ex-colleague of SMK
Dato' Jaafar, and husband

Mr. Fauzan [most left] and family

Mr. Nazri, was in Form 2 in 1995

Mr. Azfar

the lady in the middle, I used to see her
in courtroom

the door gift

Wishing Mr. Syafiq and her partner a happy and blessed married life, filled with sunshine and love.

THE GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE AT TANJUNG PIAI, PONTIAN

2026-10-31T09:53:26.970+08:00

25th OCTOBER 2026 ~ The gastronomic adventure this week took place in Tanjung Piai, Pontian. We wanted to try the food at Aiskrim Dulang by Pikapi after reviewing the TikTok video.

I was in Tanjung Piai for a gastronomic adventure was back in March 2024, with other friends [READ HERE].

As suggested by the name Aiskrim Dulang [TRANSLATE: Tray Ice Cream], the specialty of the place was its ice cream but we did not get it after the meal.

We arrived at about 2-ish p.m. and there were not that many people as it was already past lunch hour.

The chose the Dulang Set, something like a lunch set put on a big tray whcih comprised of a few Malay dishes.

The lunch set cost RM79.90 excluding drinks, and was meant for 4 pax. Surprisingly, my friend and I could finish it all because the portion of the food was not actually suffice for four adults.

MY HONEST UNPAID REVIEW: We had had better lunch at a more reasonable price somewhere else.

However, the gastronomic adventure must go on. We now have to think of the next eating venue for the upcoming weekend.

THE FAREWELL EVENT OF THE RETIRING PRINCIPAL OF SMK TAMAN UNIVERSITI

2026-10-30T22:55:18.377+08:00

A Farewell Event was held for the retiring Principal of SMK Taman Universiti, Tuan Haji Saiful Azizi bin Mohamad Yassin. A few ex-colleagues were invited to officially bid him farewell. I was more excited to see my old friends during the session.

Tuan Haji Saiful Azizi was one of the teachers who had been teaching in SMK Taman Universiti for many years. Initially he was an academic teacher before holding all the Senior Assistant posts and eventually became the principal of the school.

It was the usual activities - speeches, students performance, giving away presents, photography session and the feast for the invited guesrs.

I was happy that I managed to be photographed with many friends in school. I was there for about 4 hours. No doubt it was tiring but I had a whale of a time to be able to see people whom I once worked together with.

HAVING BREAKFAST AT DAPO CIKGU IN PORT DICKSON

2026-10-29T23:54:16.432+08:00

19th OCTOBER 2026 ~ We randomly chose Dapo Cikgu [TRANSLATE: Teacher's Kitchen] as the place for our breakfast in Port Dickson.

This place offered the usual traditional Malay food for breakfast like Nasi Lemak, Lontong and Roti Canai.

We both opted for Mee Kari [Curry Noodles] and it was a wise decision as it was delicious.

To complement the main dish, we also had Lempeng [plain pancake] that was eaten with Sambal Tumis [cooked chili paste that served as a condiment to many Malay cuisines].

Once our tummies were happy, we were then ready to do a bit of exploration and find out what Port Dickson had to offer.

VISITING HAVOC FOOD FEST AT UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

2026-10-28T21:19:30.161+08:00

24TH OCTOBER 2026 ~ There was a Food Fest held at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. My regular gastronomic adventurer decided to visit the venue, to see if there was anything interesting. This was my very first time going to a Food Fest. I did not really fancy such event as, firstly, the food prices were usually higher and secondly, there was always a huge crowd.

The last time we were at the same exact venue was in February, when there was an expo for the upcoming Eid festival. [READ HERE]

There were many stalls selling all kinds of food, especially modern and trending delicacies. At the same time, there were also people selling other non-edible items at the Food Fest.

Mr. Redzuan got some food to take home for lunch and dinner as well. I, on the other hand, did not buy anything as I was still full from lunch that I had had [READ HERE] before going there.

The only ex-student [of SMK Taman Universiti] that I met was Mr. Radin Mohd. Fauzan who was accompanied by his wife.

I have to compliment myself for being resistant to all the temptations at the event. Things might have been different if I had not eaten at that time though.

GOING WESTERN FOR DINNER IN PORT DICKSON, NEGERI SEMBILAN

2026-10-28T18:51:40.387+08:00

18th OCTOBER 2026 ~ After too much Malay food in Melaka, we decided to go western for dinner when we were in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. My co-pilot cum gastronomic adventure buddy, Mr. Redzuan, found this place called "Kafe Santai" which was not that far from the hotel where we were staying.

We ordered the Dulang Set [TRANSLATE: tray] which contained a piece of chicken chop and lamb chop, French Fries and two portions of fried rice. Western but Malaysianized as some people just could not live without rice.

The meal size was sufficient for two people and taste wise, all the food in taste was tasty that we finished everything.

That was a good start for our gastronomic adventure in Port Dickson and we would continue with the next episode the next day.

THE PRESENT THAT ARRIVED 17 DAYS AFTER THE BIRTHDAY

2026-10-27T23:26:34.688+08:00

A huge and heavy parcel arrived at my doorsteps this afternoon. By looking at the label "PLANT" on the box, I could already guess who the sender was.

I am happy that I now have a new collection of Caladium plants at home. I need to visit the nursery urgently to buy vases and organic soil.

Thank a lot to my friend [of UPM TESL Class of 1993], Puan Sharon Taty Mokhtar for her kind thought. Only Allah may repay her kind gestures.

GETTING BACK TO UTM TO TEACH ENGLISH AFTER SO MANY YEARS

2026-10-27T23:03:04.358+08:00

An old friend who is a teaching staff of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia [UTM] contacted me a few weeks ago, asking whether I would be interested to teach English. My first question was, whether it would be physical or online classes. Once informed the classes would be conducted face-to-face, I agreed without any hesitation.

Today, the first physical class was conducted, on week 3 of the semester. The first two classes were still conducted online as all learning institutions in Johor state were instructed to be closed because of the haze.

After 2 years and 10 months being away from school, I was excited to get into the classroom to do something I do best: Teach.

The lecture was held at T02 block, a new faculty building I had never been to. I arrived earlier and discovered there was a cafeteria on the ground floor. That was good news, now that I know I could always eat breakfast before the class starts.

HAPPINESS: to find Roti Canai and Teh Tarik available, and at reasonable prices.

The class went well despite the technical glitch i.e. the LCD project did not work. We had to resort to plan B, using Google Meet to watch the slide presentations. I was happy that I got to see real students in a real classroom one more time.

As I was about to leave the faculty, an ex-student [of SMK Taman Universiti] appeared out of nowhere. Fans are everywhere. He is now one of the faculty staff and he even helped me to report about the problem I had encountered with the projector to the technician of the faculty.

If you find me busier now, then you should know the reason already. I have another class to teach this Friday afternoon and am looking forward to that as well.

THE GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE AT KEDAI MAKAN SAKDIAH IN ALOR GAJAH

2026-10-26T22:04:49.669+08:00

18TH OCTOBER 2026 ~ Before leaving Alor Gajah, Melaka, and heading to Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, we decided to get lunch. Recommended by a friend who is residing in Melaka, we searched for Kedai Makan Sakdiah and there were already many people filling in the dining area for lunch.

My friend had Ikan Baung Masak Lemak, and I chose Asam Pedas Ikan Duri. Both were traditional Malay dishes, eaten with rice. As for the vegetable, we both took Fried Bean Sprouts.

One minus point was the place was not air-conditioned. The food was hot [i.e. spicy] and the weather outside was hotter. That would be the way to enjoy authentic local meals. One thing we discovered there were many eating places along the stretch of road and there could be possibilities for us to come back and try, time unknown.

REVISITING WARONG BUNDA FOR THE THIRD TIME WITH ANOTHER TESL FRIEND [AND HER HUSBAND]

2026-10-25T23:34:29.386+08:00

24TH OCTOBER 2026 ~ Puan Hayati Ismail [a friend of UPM TESL Class of 1993] and her husband were in Johor Bahru [with their kids]. A breakfast date was set with the parents and she wanted it to be at Warung Bunda, the place where I had taken other TESL friends before.

I arrived there at 7:30 a.m. and there was already a large crowd occupying all the tables in the main eating area. Fortunately, there were still a few left at one part of the eating place.

Visitors could easily be impressed by the wide array of choices they had in the room where all the food was put on the counters.

Lontong Kering/Darat

everything mixed up

Lontong Kuah

Kuih-muih

We, on the other hand, were not extravagant with the amount of food taken for breakfast.

We could not stay too long in the restaurant as there were people standing everywhere, newcomers eyeing for empty seats. It was always my pleasure to entertain friends from near and far over meals and hopefully we could do this some other time, either here or in Kuala Lumpur/Selangor area.

Warong Bunda's Visit #1 and Visit #2

THE LUNCH DATE WITH THE COMMITTEE OF THE SCHOOL REUNION EVENT

2026-10-24T23:42:33.642+08:00

A lunch date was set with a few ex-students [of SMK Taman Universiti] who were the organizing team of the previous school reunion event. The chosen venue was Ramada Meridin in Kota Iskandar.

[NOTE: The set lunch theme of this month is Indonesian cuisine. So we all had the Gepuk and Penyet Rice].

Then, while we were about to enjoy our meal, there was a heavy downpour. We sat outside the cafe as there dining area was packed with guests attending a seminar. The rain did not dampen our spirit to finish the dishes even though we literally were wet.

Then only the surprise arrived. A birthday cake was brought to the table for someone - ME!

before

after

People still celebrated birthday even after it was two weeks late. 😀

We had to bid our goodbyes at about 2:00 p.m. and most probably we will still be seeing each other again soon. These people had already planned of another activity for next year.

Thanks to the five girls for the surprise, and I really appreciated the kind thought. Thank God, the many people who ate lunch inside the cafe had already gone away somewhere else when they sang the birthday song to me.

VIDEO: ORNAMENTAL FISH CENTRE, PORT DICKSON - PART TWO

2026-10-23T23:42:23.239+08:00

CONTINUATION OF PART ONE

A collection of short videos of the aquarium fishes [and turtles] at Pusat Ikan Hiasan [Ornamental Fish Centre] in Port Dickson, visited on 19th October 2026.

If you do not know where to go when in Port Dickson, this is one place you may consider. Not bad at all considering there is no entrance fee for visitors. Small kids will be easily entertained and they could spend more time observing the marine creatures.

VIDEO: ORNAMENTAL FISH CENTRE, PORT DICKSON - PART ONE

2026-10-23T11:51:56.646+08:00

A collection of short videos of the aquarium fishes at Pusat Ikan Hiasan [Ornamental Fish Centre] in Port Dickson, visited on 19th October 2026.

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART TWO

THE GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE AT A FAMOSA RESORT, MELAKA

2026-10-22T22:35:47.480+08:00

18TH OCTOBER 2026 ~ I am always happy to get the breakfast package when putting up a night at a hotel or resort. Most of the time, it would be cheaper compared to the walk-in price. We were among the early birds to drive to the Club House of A Famosa Resort for breakfast, the place where we stayed and the same venue for the wedding reception attended the night before.

Omelette

Puri

Pancake + Honey

Tom Yum Noodles

I met two old friends, the ex-Fourth Collegian of Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, who also attended the reception.

All in all, I was happy with the breakfasts served, especially when there were two rare items found for breakfast: Puri and Tom Yum Noodles. Besides, there was a wide variety of food to choose for breakfast from the stations and counters.

MEETING AN EX-CLASSMATE/SCHOOLMATE IN GELANG PATAH

2026-10-21T23:22:40.624+08:00

My ex-classmate/schoolmate of Budiman class, SMS Muar, informed me in the Whatsapp group in the morning that he would be in town. A dinner date was promptly made and we decided to meet at Alsafa Restaurant in Gelang Patah.

This was my second time visiting this Mamak restaurant and the first one took place last month [READ HERE].

Fried Rice

Fried Maggi Noodles

Chicken and Beef Sate

We bade our goodbyes for now at about 10:15 p.m. and God willing, we will see each other again. Thanks to Mr. Abdul Razak Sapian for always contacting me when he is back in Johor Bahru. He is one of the few school friends that I frequently see up until now.

THE GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE IN SULTAN SALAI IN ALOR GAJAH, MELAKA

2026-10-21T17:15:11.925+08:00

17th OCTOBER 2026 ~ Before checking in at the hotel and attending the wedding reception [READ HERE], we stopped for lunch at a restaurant at Simpang Ampat, Alor Gajah. The place is called Sultan Salai, which seemed to a popular eating place.

an uphill task

We arrived slightly earlier than other people so there was no queue and there was no problem finding a table.

The specialty of this place was Masak Lemak - everything cooked in coconut milk gravy.

We had Grilled [Giant] Squid, Beef Masak Lemak, cabbage and fried egg in soy sauce. Honest unpaid review: I loved all the food chosen.

local ice cream for dessert

This was the first gastronomic adventure episode of the staycation series. There were more restaurant/eating place hopping activities going to take place.

ATTENDING A WEDDING RECEPTION AT A FAMOSA RESORT MELAKA

2026-10-20T23:17:59.591+08:00

waiting to board the bus

17TH OCTOBER 2026 ~ I was invited by an old friend, who was a resident of Fourth Residential College of Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, Mr. Hishamuddin Mustafa, to the wedding of his son. The event was held at A Famosa Resort in Alor Gajah, Melaka.

I was lucky as my gastronomic adventure cum travel buddy, Mr. Redzuan, agreed to accompany me. We decided to get a room at the condominium in the resort as it was very convenient especially when the reception was held in the evening.

in the bus

We initially planned to be the early birds, to be there at 6:30 p.m. but it was raining at that time. So went out after our Maghrib prayer at about 7:15 p.m. We first had to park the car in one [big] parking area and was asked to wait for the shuttle bus that would ferry the guests to the wedding venue. We were quite excited as it was the first time to experience such thing.

Surprisingly when we entered the wedding tent/hall, it was already crowded. Lucky enough, we managed to secure empty seats near the entrance.

I got to meet three other friends of the residential college and this was one rare opportunity.

I am in the video 😀

Before going back, guests could choose any vegetables from the stall to bring back home, as one of the doorgifts of the wedding.

Congratulations to Mr. Hishamuuddin Mustafa on the arrival of the first daughter-in-law. Thank you for inviting me even though we just get to see each other on Facebook. Hope to see you some other time in the future.

BLOGGING FROM A FAMOSA RESORT, MELAKA

2026-10-18T11:00:48.411+08:00

I am now blogging from A Famosa Resort in Alor Gajah, Melaka. The main agenda of the trip this time was to attend a wedding reception of an old college friend's son in the very same resort yesterday evening [READ HERE]. After spending the night here, I will be making my way to the next destination: Port Dickson.

There was no planning whatsoever for the staycation getaway so my friend and I would just o by the flow.

Do come back for more updates after this.

WARONG BUNDA REVISITED WITH GUESTS FROM SUNGAI PETANI AND KUALA LUMPUR

2026-10-16T23:45:10.075+08:00

This was my second breakfast date with Puan Suhana Abdul Jamal, a friend of UPM TESL Class of 1993. She was accompanied by her mother and elder sister who is now residing in Kuala Lumpur.

Unlike the first meeting which was impromptu, we had planned to meet up at Warong Bunda. This was my second time here. The first visit happened last week with another TESL friend [READ HERE].

There were still many people having breakfast on a working day, but definitely but not as crowded as it was on a weekend. Hence, we managed to take more photos.

Everyone was happy and breakfast was a huge success. We bade our goodbyes and hoping for another reunion cum gastronomic adventure, some other time somewhere.

PONTIAN REVISITED AFTER A FORTNIGHT FOR THE WEEK'S GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE

2026-10-15T23:36:14.675+08:00

11th OCTOBER 2026 ~ We ventured out to Pontian again for our gastronomic adventure. We were in the quaint town a fortnight ago [READ HERE] and saw Cendolboy Restaurant was filled with many customers. It is a popular belief an eating place is good if there are many visitors. Hence we decided to visit this place this time.

It was Sunday afternoon and there were many people still having lunch after 2:00 p.m. Luckily we managed to secure an empty table in the dining area.

If you want to have Nasi Campur [rice with different dishes] for lunch, there were a variety of Malay dishes to choose.

When I saw the Rojak station, I had a feeling this restaurant was actually a rebranded Mamak place. Correct me if I am wrong.

I had Asam Pedas Ikan Pari [Stingray]. Unfortunately, the gravy was a bit too salty and that already was a turn off for me.

I also had Cendol which should be the specialty of this place, and it was commendable.

Another eating place visited in Pontian and now we have to find other venues for our upcoming gastronomic adventure.