Puasa on Saturday

Agra 4 - The Taj Mahal, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

Did not have the best start to the day today. Woke up at 4.30 to check on the football scores. Sneaked upstairs and flipped through the channels. All the channels are showing Champion League Qualifiers though. So, switched on the modem, quick browse to football365.com. Ah? Burnley 1 ManYoo 0? I have woken up into a nightmare haven't I?

Went back to sleep, had to endure plenty of abuse from my ManYoo-hating friends the whole day. My wife was looking forward to the afternoon since her Baju Raya is already ready. What? Not even started Puasa yet, she has already picked up her Baju Raya? As for me, it has been a busy day, with plenty of paperworks and letters to do. Kept getting email notifications during the whole time about people commenting on ManYoo still! How can I get away? ARGH!

Tonight, the familiar face - the Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-Raja, a title as peculiar as his job description - made the announcement that the start of Ramadhan will be the day after tomorrow. Which reminds me to apply for the Hari Raya leaves tomorrow morning.

The boy with the mask!

The boy with the mask!, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

The H1N1 pandemic has certainly hit fever pitch here in Malaysia - pun intended. You should listen to the parents' meeting at the entrance of Idlan's kindergarten. There are even parents who are planning to keep their children away until the pandemic ends .... ie next year? Even my wife caught the bug (another pun). She was asking me about all sorts and basically being the middle person to all of Idlan's classmate parents. Should they wear masks? What brand of mask? Is the RM3 better than the 50 sen ones? Why was the school not closed? I think rather than bitching around about it, they should just read about the public guideline and get on with their life!

However, there will be another group that will affected by all this. The People selling breakfast food during Ramadhan. It is common knowledge that some people actually take unpaid leave during the month to open up business. They rake in a hell of a lot.

Ramadhan in Malaysia is a time where everybody mingle around. The shopping malls will be full with shoppers buying new wares for the coming Hari Raya. Before breaking fast, it is almost traditional that they visit the stalls to buy food. These makeshift markets are called 'Pasar Ramadhan' and they spring up like mushroom.

At night, people go out again shopping in the streets. It is much cooler at night compared to the day. They can also eat out. A lot of people also frequent the mosques and surau for Tarawikh prayers every night. I am sure that there will be an effect to the way we celebrate Ramadhan and Hari Raya.

While we are on the subject of Hari Raya, the celebration will definitely be dented this year. I can announce a big open house because I am sure nobody will be coming ... hehehe! Have a blessed Ramadhan!

Give me the Sushi!

Expresssushi, Great Eastern Mall 1, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

Myself and Anita went out this afternoon, in search of face masks for the boys and also a thermal scanner, to scan the driver's and maids' forehead just in case they have fever. It seems that panic has gripped the whole of Kuala Lumpur. None of the outlets have kiddy's mask in store. The thermal scanner were also sold out, and we put one in order. It should be available sometime in the next few days. Even the Pharmacist told us that everyone was buying them in droves. There was even a customer asking if he can sell them Tamiflu without prescription!

After doing all that, I started having a crave. It is expected to be Ramadhan by Friday. It's the fasting month. I had to get myself filled up, eat the things that I crave! I needed sushi! And I need them now!

Just next door to the Pharmacy is a new sushi joint. We frequent Great Eastern Mall from time to time, but never noticed this small little shop. It is called Express Sushi. It has only been opened for a couple of months. Gingerly we walked in. The friendly waiter came over and asked if we are familiar with Japanese food. If we needed help ordering. A quick chat and then I ordered salmon sashimi, California handroll and a soba. Anita had miso soup as extra.

Honestly, I was blown away. The sashimi was really nice, even the avocado in the handroll tasted fresh, and the soup ..... Basically it was a delight. The owner, Michael, and the Manager Eric, was always at hand, talking to us about the menu. This is their first outlet, and they are planning many more in the future with plans for delivery. The main bulk of the business will be take-aways and also catering for small parties. With food this good, I can't see them having much problem expanding.

While talking about the price, I accidentally blurted out the words .. "It's so cheap!", much to my embarrassment. In all honesty, the price was very reasonable, and compared to some other outlet, the food here is much better. Certainly no complains here. However, if you are really into Japanese, and planning for a big order, maybe a Japanese buffet will be a better idea.

The actual dining area was rather small, obviously trying to keep the overhead down. The location was also rather hidden. It was on the Lower Ground Floor, and it was by sheer luck that we stumble upon the place. The seating are arranged in a single row overlooking the wall. There are a couple of round table outside, but should you come in a big party, you will struggle. Apparently according to Michael, they are able to provide bigger table if you give them a heads up. Also since the location is away from the main entrance, should we order up front for take away, we can just drive through at the ground floor and he will pass on the order.

Personally, I am not being paid to write about this. However, the restaurant deserve a special mention. So Michael, if you are reading this, make sure my next meal is on the house .... Cheers!

The restaurant can be contacted on 03 42560010, or why not have a look at their Facebook page.

Cousin's Wedding in Muar

Cousin's Wedding in Muar 1, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

Made a round trip to Muar today, some 200 km from home. I attended one of my cousin's wedding. Initially I was reluctant to travel due to the pandemic and all, but I finally gave in to my Mum.

We hit out at around 11am, stopped for a quick drink as my nephew, Imran was hungry. We managed to get lost on the way over there as the last time we went there was some 4 years ago. We got there by 1.30, had lunch, then it started poring down.

The rain eased off just in time for the wedding procession to arrive. I was also surprised as there was a live band playing. In KL, especially in house kenduri, there are usually karaoke, or people attempting at karaoke, but today there were some serious singers and musicians. And they were good, or at least I thought they were.

A sign I saw on the way hone ... Pedas!We left shortly after the procession arrive as the return trip will take another couple of hours at the very least, and it looked like it was going to rain again. I finally arrived home, after dropping my Mum at around 6. Flipped through the channel and was disappointed to find that they were not showing the World Athletics live on Astro. Quick check on the YouTube to watch clip of Bolt and Gay in the heats. The second round will be later tonight. Oh! And there is a small matter of The English Premier League back on the tubes! United is only playing tomorrow though, so the season has not started until then in earnest.

3rd Ampang Haematology Update

Palmdoc Updating the Crowd, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

As I mentioned, both Edmund and Habibah, plus my final year Medical Officers are away today. They were all attending the Haematology Update at Hospital Ampang. It is their third installment. I was involved in the last series but this current one. I guess they got proper speakers this time. However, my MacBook adaptor did make an appearance since one of the Mac-using speaker forgotten to bring hers.

I had to hold the fort, and Friday has traditionally been a busy day for the unit as we hold our big weekly clinic on the Friday mornings. We managed to cut down the number this time to 40 and I only had to spend a couple of hours down there. Myself, Gin Gin and 3 other MOs.

I planned to leave for Ampang right after Friday Prayers, but unfortunately it got delayed since I had to settle a few referrals. I finally managed to get to Ampang to hear the last lecture. It was by my sifu, @palmdoc. He gave a quick insight on the concept of Reduced-Intensity Stem Cell Transplant. The talk was attended by what seems like the majority being nurses rather than doctors. The topic this time around is rather specific, Stem Cell Transplantation. Therefore, those attending must have had some inclination or are involved in the subject matter because otherwise it becomes to specialised. As Ampang is near my home, I managed to escape back home and reach there by 5.

Idlan and Irfan has been waiting for me since the afternoon as the new souped-up Wii needs a bit of skill to load up. They were not able to load the Wii Sport Resort as it need some tinkering in the menu. It was also raining heavily by then, so we decided to skip the music school for today.