The Joy of Being Driven

I woke up this morning with a right sore throat. My brother-in-law, spending Hari Raya break from Turkmenistan was feeling feverish since yesterday and I was not surprised if I were to catch the bug off him. The fact that I had been traveling during the weekend did not help.

My voice went all nasal by mid-morning, and I had a couple of lectures to deliver in the afternoon. My voice became worst by lunchtime, so I had some soup and salt water gargle, and the throat improved a bit. I was too tired to drive myself to PJ Hilton for my talk, and had to ask our driver to take me there.

I arrived just in time for some more soup. One of the organiser brought me some warm honey to drink and it worked a treat. Managed to deliver the talk - nasal of course. I napped on the way back in the car.

Felt a bit rough still when I woke up at home. Just had some paracetamol and dinner. Feeling less feverish. I was sure Anita would ask me to sleep in the study. She would be worried if the boys caught the virus from me. Planning for an early night.

Spice from Kepala Batas

I made it no secret that when it comes to cooking, I was no Masterchef. Every time I went back to Kepala Batas - my kampung - my parents and Anita would visit this spice shop run by an Indian Moslem family. The business been going on for a number of years and my Mum swears by them.

They had recently moved into this new shop. Previously, they had a small workshop at the back of their house in Kampung Kovil, in the back street of town, where the Indians stay in my kampung.

They had spices for everything, and everything was mixed to your taste when you order them. All you had to do was tell them what kind of cooking you liked, and how spicy or hot your want it to be, and he would suggest the rest. The owner - previously his Dad - also gave away recipes. Anita got some of them here in Gombak.

All the spices and all the coloursYou tell him what you wantAnd he would mix it for youThe spices he carried include sauces and paste from India, as well as some exotic leafs and nuts. All packaged into the kind o cooking you wanted to do. Say, if you want to cook a chicken biryani, he would ask you for how many guests, and he would tell you how much rice, chicken and spices you would need. Ace!

Listen carefullyAll packed up, and labelled of course

When we returned to Kepala Batas last weekend, we gave it another visit, and he was nice enough to let me snap some photos. He was running the shop with his brother now, and eve week they would do shipment to KL. Some of the 'kedai mamak' in KL bought the spices from him, in bulk.

Ben's General Food Store, Bangsar Village

Coming straight off his Lego camp, Idlan was understandably hungry. He did not have lunch earlier, although he had a late breakfast. Straight away, he told us he wanted pizza. We were settled at The Loaf earlier, but since it did not offer pizza, Dina, our guest, suggested we head across to Bangsar Village and try Ben's.

Again, it was quite a find. We went there a couple of months ago, but could not get a seat, and had to settle for an alternative place. Now, we understood why the place was packed during lunch.

I did not have the chance to peruse through the menu, but they mainly offer Italian and fusion food. We went straight for pizza and milkshake. It was a ten inch, thin crust pizza, and Idlan finished them all on his own - with the help of sprinkling of parmesan of course.

I did managed to sample half a slice. It was very nice. Nice crisp base, tangy tomato topping and nice smooth mix of mozzarella and cheddar. Served piping hot, in a nice little place and a personal roll cutter.

Idlan and Anita did some groceries while I was with Idlan. Irfan joined us later and we ordered another pizza for take-out.

The pizza has arrivedIdlan working on themOne more to go

Since it was a quick stop, we would definitely be returning. It must be the Raya spirit, as I was kind to both restaurants - The Loaf being the other - I entered this afternoon.

The restaurant was located on the Ground Floor of Bangsar Village, right by the main foyer, directly opposite Village Grocers. I have to warn you that the place tended to be packed during weekends, especially lunchtime ….

P/S - we had a slightly different experience the next time we came here.

Slides Done

The sight which greeted me when I arrived home yesterday.Now that I had my slides prepared for the rest of the week, I was much more settled. I felt bloated when I woke up this morning with all the food. Anita went out with her friends this morning for breakfast after dropping the boys at school. As for me, I had a free morning.

I was quite keen to take my X100 for another spin. I was very impressed with the photos I took during my Penang trip last weekend and I could see myself enjoying using the camera even more. Once I was more familiar with the camera, I would write a more detailed review.

As for today, I was thinking of going over to Central Market for a spot of street photography. Weather permitting of course. I have lectures and work the rest of the week though, including the coming weekend. So, if I need to go for shoot, today would be the day.

Back Home

We set off early this morning. We were already in the car by 7.30 and was well on our way by 8am.

Traffic was much lighter than expected, and we reached KL by 11.30 in the morning. We did not take any toilet break. One bit of problem was we had a bit of a problem with the air-conditioning in my car. I thought it needed the compressor fixed. It was well warm by the time I reached KL.

Under four hours seemed to be pretty standard time for Penang KL. This was actually from Sungai Petani rather. I have known people who travel sub three hours, but I would rather not tell you who that was.

So, I reached home much earlier than anticipated. Time to take the boys out for lunch, but unfortunately, I had some lectures I need sorting out during for the coming week. So, probably had to burn the midnight oil tonight.