Three Hospitals

It had been a really warm day today and the fact that I had to run around between Subang Jaya and ParkCity did not help. It had been a tiring one.

This was then capped up by a visit to the Armed Forces Hospital near Wangsa Maju to visit my Dad's driver.

Pak Cik Leman had been driving Anita since she was in primary school. He used to be Dad's driver during his time in the Army. This continued after both of them retired from service. But in the last few years, Pak Leman had worsening of his diabetes. As a result, his weight ballooned and he wasn't as dependable as before. Unfortunately, during the weekend, he suffered a minor stroke and had been admitted since then.

InsyaAllah he would be discharged tomorrow if results turned out ok, but I could see that he still had difficulty with his speech. Praying for a speedy recovery.

Mother's Day Part II

My Mum prefer a traditional Malaysia restaurant. And her favourite had always been Rebung, an outlet ran by a local celebrity chef, Chef Ismail. The last we went there was about three months ago, and the quality of the food there had always been consistent. We sort of like knew what we were in for every time we called in.

Since it was Mother's Day weekend and all, I decides to book the table. It turned out that there were plenty of space available, although we managed to get a spot indoors.

Always disconcerting when the chef at the restaurant took to the karaoke ..... and that was what happenedThe food was good as expected, and all my favourite was there. Satay, asam laksa and daging salai. Those kept me happy.

But the highlight of the might was definitely Chef Ismail's singing. He was on the karaoke for quite a while. Yes, he was actually at the premise, and greeted us at the table, which made my Mum's day.

It was a good evening, certainly better food wise compared to the evening before at Makan Kitchen. And it cost less as well.

I must say, I was impressed at the consistency of the dishes there. For the last few years that we've been frequenting the restaurant, the food had been good. We always found something to keep us happy. But the parking there still needed sorting out. It was painful trying to get a space even though the place was only half full.

Anita, my Mum and my sister, JuliaI also noticed that the restaurant had expended to the bungalow next door. But it was outdoors and was rather too warm for out liking. We still preferred the space indoor.

Just by sheer consistency, the restaurant still retained my recommendation.

Into the Darkness

I managed to finish the morning ward round pretty early, and after a quick search on the net, there was an 11.30 am Star Trek show at Pavilion. A quick text to Puan Anita - to ask for her permission of course - and then I was off. Got to Bukit Bintang well in time, popcorn and all.

If you were expecting full-on action flick, you would be disappointed. There was of course the obligatory action scene, but on the whole, it was a plot-driven movie, and the scope of the storyline on the whole was actually pretty narrow. None of this safe the universe thing - but maybe they were doing it one star system at a time.

It was clearly a franchise movie - expect a third instalment of the series coming in the next few years. The dead giveaway was the ending - the crew embarked on a 5-year mission into deep space as the closing credit rolled on. This could also set the series up for television.

Anyhow, being a Trekkie, I liked the direction JJ Abram was taking the franchise. Clearly a work in progress rather than a pure stand alone movie. Some pretty heavy scene, while the villain did not actually die - which possible appearance in future ventures. Interesting none the less.

Mother's Day Part I

Round One of our Mother's Day weekend dinner was at Makan Kitchen, Double Tree in KL. It used to be one of Anita's favourite but after tonight's affair, I don't think that she was in any hurry to return. It was, to put it mildly, disappointing.

The spread was poor, with only limited local selection. The main bulk happened to be Indian, and it was not great. I'm a fan of Indian food, but this was worst than the Mamak stalls. In fact, it was an insult to compare this to my local mamak. It was really bad. The rice was overcooked, while the naan was the opposite. The daal and curry was too plain - it seemed that they left the spices in the cupboard.

The only highlight was the satay. It was as tasty as I remembered it here and the peanut sauce that came with it was top notch. The kebab was not too bad either.

There was no salad, and there was no Japanese item on the spread. The dessert was also left wanting. There was only 3 dishes to go with rice if you wanted to go for the Malay selection. As for Chinese, the less mentioned the better.

Apparently they had a new chef just appointed to the outlet. A gregarious American gentleman called Adam who went from one table to another introducing himself. He only started there three weeks ago, previously stationed in China from what I heard. He certainly had his job cut out to sort out this shamble. And good luck to him.

So, for the next few months, I'll pass on coming back here.

Trouble Brewing

This was the sight that greeted me when I arrived home from work yesterday. Suffice to say, there was a spring cleaning going on at the study as far as Lego pieces were concerned. The last time this happened, half the stuff on my table went missing. Apparently, Irfan had the urge to clear things up …….. Better keep my stuff at a safe place then …..