Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri Maaf Zahir Batin

Aidilfitri 2024

Eid Mubarak, everyone! It is now Hari Raya Aidlifitri once again, and we had another road trip to visit family. This year it was Sitiawan’s turn, so we went to KL first to visit Anya’s family and to check on Tok Ma’s ailing health. Two days before Raya, we headed […]

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The Home Team by the South China Sea

Back to Terengganu

Once upon a time I worked on the East Coast of the country. I left it in 2001 to embark on my own odyssey, askew from what I thought was my path. Terengganu is a beautiful state. I rarely return there because of lack of funds to do so over […]

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Under the nipah fronds and above a swamp

Cousins Passing Through

And so it came to pass that cousin Razlyn informed us that she was dropping by for a day stop. Her daughters Shahidah and Nabilah (Irfan’s cousins), Siraj – a boardgaming fan, and her were travelling down from Thailand. They were there for a quick vacation by train. Earlier today, […]

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I have been to Port Dickson but I don't remember it at all

A Melaka 2023 Postscript

Previously… Day Three Postscript: Port Dickson Before heading up to KL, we took photos at the A Famosa fort (from a distance), the submarine museum (just the exterior), and stopped for some keria which were super delicious when still warm. Especially in the rain-cooled air. As we headed north for […]

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Irfan, Ain and my night on the town

Build-Up To Melaka Work Excursion

Before the Storm The last weekend we made an officially sanctioned work excursion to Melaka. Gray of KakiTabletop initiated a communication with Pay Fong Middle School in Melaka. From there the school sent me a formal invitation via the workplace. I had been invited to run some TTRPG sessions for […]

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Some guy in batik shirt

Anya in Alor Setar

It’s not every day Anya headed up north. So it was great to hang out with them when they came up north for the wedding of Ayah Cik Farid’s cousin. The wedding was held at Hotel Seri Malaysia in the middle of the city. Because Tok Bah and Tok Ma […]

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Hisham and Ain at Ana Burger

Year 22: An Anniversary

It has been twenty-two years since we got married. Nothing to report other than a family dinner. Earlier that morning we had breakfast at a new place that appeared from the abandoned site of an old. Located in front of a nearby orphanage, it has become our new go-to place […]

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Anya with Wonder Garden

More Aidiladha in Selangor Tales

After the MAHSA visit, it was time to take it easy.  The penultimate day of our visit we scouted Kuala Lumpur, checking out Pandan Indah though there were no photos taken there. We did have lunch at Burger King at the Petronas near Lotus Ampang (formerly Tesco). We also checked […]

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Nipah Klasik Youtube image

Nipah Klasik

We discovered this really neat restaurant recently. The eatery is nestled among a thick grove of nipah plants growing out of a swamp slightly south of Simpang Empat. Besides having food that we found delicious, the actual restaurant was built on stilts over the swamp. Visitors can sit at tables […]

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One more group photo before we leave

Picnic by the Bendang

Yesterday, a group of colleagues organised a trip away from the bustling metropolis known as Kangar (mm-hmm) to nearby Pokok Sena for a picnic in the sticks. By sticks, I mean the beautiful, recently-launched Loqsakri Agro Farm. First we rendezvoused near Arau along the road to Jitra. Then we formed […]

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21st anniversary 01

Anniversary: Year 21

For the first time ever, we celebrated our anniversary tonight at a hotel. Five years ago or so, I would have never dared to dream we could do this. In any case, it was the best choice as there was not many other patrons in the hotel cafe. Nothing much […]

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Langkawi in the distance

Sunset During Pandemic

These days, after the car occupancy restrictions was lifted, we travel the state a bit for a change of scenery. This is not a big state so there are not many places to visit, but those we could does not disappoint us with the quality of their beauty. One such […]

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We wonder when the pandemic will end

Second Pandemic Eid of 2021

Sure, we had Aidilfitri a couple of months ago. Before long Aidiladha was before us. As usual we stayed at home. I imamed the Aidiladha prayers for Ain & Irfan. Ain made laksa johor with the help of my colleague Azreen’s pre-packaged spice. Ultimately we stayed at home and watched […]

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Then we headed for Bukit Jerneh

The Outbreak Aidilfitri II

Previously, on “The Outbreak Aidilfitri”… It has been 12 lunar months since the last Hari Raya and now Eid has returned, just in time for another nationwide lockdown. So that means we are unable to balik kampung again during the festive season. We had actually planned to spend Eid at […]

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Ain trying her hand out at woodball

A Woodball Weekend

And so it came to pass that my former student Aidil invited Ain and I to play woodball at the university’s woodball field. With Irfan away at college, we thought it would be a great way to pass the time and learn new things. Apparently woodball is big at the […]

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