Sometime back, my father informed me that one of our distant relatives who now resides in the US would be in KL for business. That was in March. I felt quite bad as he was staying alone and something or the other would turn up, everytime I planned to meet up with him. I finaly got the chance yestrday.
With my wife, my daughter and maid in tow, I picked him up from Lanson Place, Jalan (road) Ampang and took him to the D’Tandoor Restaurant just down the road. Actually he picked the place. Jalan Ampang is known for its killer traffic jams but there were hardly any traffic yesterday.
The restaurant is situated on the Ground Floor of Wisma Chinese Chamber and serves North Indian cuisine. There were only a few patrons and we didn't have to queue and got nice a nice table by the window.
I didn't take my camera so I can't show any of the dishes we had. I had a sweet Lassi, which was terrific. We ordered a plate of Hydrabhadi Briyani (lamb cooked with basmathi rice and spices), plain rice and Naan. We also orderd Fish Methi (fish curry with fenugreek leaves), Vegetable Jal Frezy (mixed vegetables), Palak Paneer (cheese with spinach) and Dhall Tharka. which we shared.
Palak Paneer is one of all time favourite dishes and unlike other places, they had generous helpings of Paneer (cheese) in the dish here. The food was delicious and I had a little too much. However, I made a little room for the Dessert. I shared my Rasmalai with my relative (uncle?), while my wife had Kulfi (indian style ice cream).
Altogether, the bill came to about RM140, which was very reasonable. I was about to pick up the tab but my uncle snatched it away. According to him, he had a policy of not letting younger people pay. It felt a bit odd becaue I was the one who had invited him out for the lunch. Anyway, as they say there is always a next time.
If you want to try out authentic North Indian cuisine in Kuala Lumpur, I wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant.
06 June 2005
02 June 2005
American Vs Malaysian Kids
Received another forwarded mail from my wife:
Letter to Dad 1:
To all the parents with teenage kids.....
A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an envelope propped up prominently on the centre of the bed. It was addressed, "Dad". With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:
Dear Dad,
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I've been finding real passion with Joan and she is so nice even with all her piercing, tattoos, and her tight motorcycle clothes.
But it's not only the passion dad, she's pregnant and Joan said that we will be very happy. Even though you don't care for her as she is so much older than I, she already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. She wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too.
Joan taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for us and trading it with her friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want.
In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Joan can get better; she sure deserves it!! Don't worry Dad, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.
Your son, John
PS: Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbor's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk centre drawer. I love you! Call when it is safe for me to come home.
**********************************************************
That is a typical letter from a typical American kid.
Letter to Dad 2:
A typical letter from a Malaysian kid would be:
Dear Dad,
I have decided to commit suicide. I only got 7A1s for my SPM exam and therefore, failed to live up to your expectation which is to beat Amalina, the Malay girl who got into the Malaysian Book of Record Winner with 17A1s.
Now you will not be able to brag to your friends about how intelligent your son is. And you will also feel that you wasted all the money on my education from kindergarten fees to extra tuition classes, etc. etc.
Bye.
Yours truly,
Typical Malaysian son.
p.s. Dad, I think you also wasted your money on the special milk you have been buying for me which is supposed to increase children's intelligence. I suggest you use another brand for my little sister.
Letter to Dad 1:
To all the parents with teenage kids.....
A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an envelope propped up prominently on the centre of the bed. It was addressed, "Dad". With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:
Dear Dad,
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you. I've been finding real passion with Joan and she is so nice even with all her piercing, tattoos, and her tight motorcycle clothes.
But it's not only the passion dad, she's pregnant and Joan said that we will be very happy. Even though you don't care for her as she is so much older than I, she already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. She wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too.
Joan taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for us and trading it with her friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want.
In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Joan can get better; she sure deserves it!! Don't worry Dad, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.
Your son, John
PS: Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbor's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk centre drawer. I love you! Call when it is safe for me to come home.
**********************************************************
That is a typical letter from a typical American kid.
Letter to Dad 2:
A typical letter from a Malaysian kid would be:
Dear Dad,
I have decided to commit suicide. I only got 7A1s for my SPM exam and therefore, failed to live up to your expectation which is to beat Amalina, the Malay girl who got into the Malaysian Book of Record Winner with 17A1s.
Now you will not be able to brag to your friends about how intelligent your son is. And you will also feel that you wasted all the money on my education from kindergarten fees to extra tuition classes, etc. etc.
Bye.
Yours truly,
Typical Malaysian son.
p.s. Dad, I think you also wasted your money on the special milk you have been buying for me which is supposed to increase children's intelligence. I suggest you use another brand for my little sister.
30 May 2005
Brainwashed Idiots
Yesterday some people really pissed me off and I can't get it out of my head.
I was with my wife and we got into this conversation with some people. I won't elaborate on the whole discussion but here are two things they said, which really made me mad:
1. Malaysia is not Islamic.
This is open to discussion but their reasons which i found really stupid:
- Muslims do not follow all the sunnah of the Prophet pbuh, like taking wuduh (abulations before praying) too fast.
- Azan is not loud enough in Malaysia.
- There are cinema halls.
- Kafir (non believers) control the country.
- Women do not cover themselves.
To them these are the most important issues. What about working hard, no corruption, not cheating people, education, etc. Not that important.
2. I converted to Islam because of marriage.
One guy actually had the guts to say then when I explained that I was a convert (or revert) to Islam. Thank God I kept my cool or I would have wacked them right there.
According to them, most people who convert have an ulterior motive. They could not comprehend that people would convert because they loved the religion. They kept quiet when I told them that I converted 2 years before I married. I also reminded that all the followers of the Prophet and the earliest Muslims were all converts and not born Muslims. Malaysia is also one of the countries with the highest number of converts to Islam as compared to some other so called “more Islamic” countries.
They realized I was getting angry. Or I guess our reasoning was getting through their thick skulls. They then started praising Malaysia and agreed that Malaysia was a model of a progressive and peaceful country. They said, “Yah! Yah!” “That’s why god protected Malaysia from Tsunami.” According to them the Tsunami was sent by Allah (God) to punish the wayward Muslims in Indonesia. WHAT!
What about Palestinians? Earthquake in Iran? War in Afghanistan, Iraq? Are the Muslims there being punished too for being wayward?
I realized then I was talking to a couple of complete idiots who had been brainwashed by their so called Ulamas.
I was with my wife and we got into this conversation with some people. I won't elaborate on the whole discussion but here are two things they said, which really made me mad:
1. Malaysia is not Islamic.
This is open to discussion but their reasons which i found really stupid:
- Muslims do not follow all the sunnah of the Prophet pbuh, like taking wuduh (abulations before praying) too fast.
- Azan is not loud enough in Malaysia.
- There are cinema halls.
- Kafir (non believers) control the country.
- Women do not cover themselves.
To them these are the most important issues. What about working hard, no corruption, not cheating people, education, etc. Not that important.
2. I converted to Islam because of marriage.
One guy actually had the guts to say then when I explained that I was a convert (or revert) to Islam. Thank God I kept my cool or I would have wacked them right there.
According to them, most people who convert have an ulterior motive. They could not comprehend that people would convert because they loved the religion. They kept quiet when I told them that I converted 2 years before I married. I also reminded that all the followers of the Prophet and the earliest Muslims were all converts and not born Muslims. Malaysia is also one of the countries with the highest number of converts to Islam as compared to some other so called “more Islamic” countries.
They realized I was getting angry. Or I guess our reasoning was getting through their thick skulls. They then started praising Malaysia and agreed that Malaysia was a model of a progressive and peaceful country. They said, “Yah! Yah!” “That’s why god protected Malaysia from Tsunami.” According to them the Tsunami was sent by Allah (God) to punish the wayward Muslims in Indonesia. WHAT!
What about Palestinians? Earthquake in Iran? War in Afghanistan, Iraq? Are the Muslims there being punished too for being wayward?
I realized then I was talking to a couple of complete idiots who had been brainwashed by their so called Ulamas.
26 May 2005
Freemasons in Malaysia
The Star Wars fever is still running high and I plan to catch it this weekend (finally). I wanted to watch it on the big screen and is the reason why I avoided the temptation of buying a shaky pirated DVD copy.
However, I am also eagerly awaiting 3 other movies, namely Batman Begins, Fantastic Four and the Da Vinci code.
In case you are not aware, the last movie is based on Dan Brown’s bestseller about a Harvard professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) who stumbles on a thousand’s year old conspiracy.
Anyway, last week as I was going through Ipoh (again), I noticed this regal building. The thing that caught my eye was a conspicuous symbol on the compound walls - symbol of the compass.
"What has this got to do with the Da Vinci Code?" you may ask.
Well, during the height of the Da Vinci Code craze, I did some research on my own and found out that the Freemasons (the secret society mentioned in the book) have branches and members in Malaysia. Before you think that I have gone bonkers, there was an article in the Star, whereby their Grand Master came out to talk about their “Fraternity”.
It was mentioned that they have branches in all states in Malaysia apart from Kelantan and another.
Their contact address in Kuala Lumpur:
Dewan Freemason, 213 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400, Kuala Lumpur
Update:
Really makes me wonder who these people are and what they do.
Links on Freemasons in Malaysia:
- Freemasonry in Malaysia
- Unveiling the history of the highly secretive Freemasons in Malaysia
- The truth about Freemasonry
(Several dead links were removed and other new ones added on 29th of Oct, 2020)
Updated: 29/10/2020.
However, I am also eagerly awaiting 3 other movies, namely Batman Begins, Fantastic Four and the Da Vinci code.
In case you are not aware, the last movie is based on Dan Brown’s bestseller about a Harvard professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) who stumbles on a thousand’s year old conspiracy.
Anyway, last week as I was going through Ipoh (again), I noticed this regal building. The thing that caught my eye was a conspicuous symbol on the compound walls - symbol of the compass.
"What has this got to do with the Da Vinci Code?" you may ask.
Well, during the height of the Da Vinci Code craze, I did some research on my own and found out that the Freemasons (the secret society mentioned in the book) have branches and members in Malaysia. Before you think that I have gone bonkers, there was an article in the Star, whereby their Grand Master came out to talk about their “Fraternity”.
It was mentioned that they have branches in all states in Malaysia apart from Kelantan and another.
Their contact address in Kuala Lumpur:
Update:
DEWAN FREEMASON, No.15, Jalan 18/16,
Taman Kanagapuram
46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
I found out that there is another Dewan Freemason (Emerald Lodge) at Bukit OUG, Jalan 3/155, 58200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I am not sure about that building in Ipoh though. Very little is known about the society even though there is a lot of information about them on the net. Like for example, some mention that almost all the American Presidents were a member of the society as well (However, excluding George Bush Sr and Jr), as were most of those who wrote the US Constitution.
Taman Kanagapuram
46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
I found out that there is another Dewan Freemason (Emerald Lodge) at Bukit OUG, Jalan 3/155, 58200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I am not sure about that building in Ipoh though. Very little is known about the society even though there is a lot of information about them on the net. Like for example, some mention that almost all the American Presidents were a member of the society as well (However, excluding George Bush Sr and Jr), as were most of those who wrote the US Constitution.
Really makes me wonder who these people are and what they do.
Links on Freemasons in Malaysia:
- Freemasonry in Malaysia
- Unveiling the history of the highly secretive Freemasons in Malaysia
- The truth about Freemasonry
(Several dead links were removed and other new ones added on 29th of Oct, 2020)
Updated: 29/10/2020.
25 May 2005
Star Wars and American Politics
I was reading this article in Yahoo UK talking about the "political messages" in the latest and final episode of Star Wars.
I found it interesting that some people read into Anakin Skywalker's warning to Obi-Wan Kenobi "If you're not with me, you're my enemy". The article mentions that it reminded many of Bush's post-September 11 declaration: "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."
However, it was not the first time such a phrase was used in movies. In the epic MGM Technicolor blockbuster Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1959) Roman Tribune Messala (Stephen Boyd) offers Juda Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston)and ultimatum: either Ben Hur was with him in eliminating the Jewish rebellion or against him.
See the movie (if you have not) for the rest of the story.
I found it interesting that some people read into Anakin Skywalker's warning to Obi-Wan Kenobi "If you're not with me, you're my enemy". The article mentions that it reminded many of Bush's post-September 11 declaration: "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."
However, it was not the first time such a phrase was used in movies. In the epic MGM Technicolor blockbuster Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1959) Roman Tribune Messala (Stephen Boyd) offers Juda Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston)and ultimatum: either Ben Hur was with him in eliminating the Jewish rebellion or against him.
See the movie (if you have not) for the rest of the story.
24 May 2005
A Great Guy
Yesterday afternoon, I was engrossed in my work when I received a call from a friend (and distant relative). He said, “I have some bad news. Dato’ has passed away.” I was shocked for a while and even though I knew whom he was talking about, replied “Who?”
Brigadier-general Professor Dato' Dr. Ahmad Fawzi Mohd Basri passed away at 4.47pm yesterday afternoon at Hospital Selayang, Kuala Lumpur. He was buried around 11am this morning at the Muslim cemetery at Kampung Hijrah, Jitra, Kedah. He was 56.
He was also one of the hardest working people I had ever known in my life. Even though some people accused him of being too strict, I guess one needs to be if you were in a position like his.
He was the vice-chancellor of Universiti Utara Malaysia, a position he has held since Oct 2, 2001. He was also the National Service Training Council chairman.
He is the first vice-chancellor of a public university to hold the rank of brigadier-general in the Territorial Army, which he had served for 30 years. According to him, one thing he learnt from the Army, was loyalty to the organisation (UUM) and giving it the highest commitment.
Dr Ahmad Fawzi's started his academic career in 1972 as a tutor at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. He joined Universiti Utara Malaysia as a lecturer in 1984. He became UUM's deputy vice-chancellor (student affairs) in 1997 and was later promoted to vice-chancellor in May 2001.
You can view his profile in the university website here (It might not be active for long).
His death really took me by surprise because he was recovering the last time I saw him. He put his full faith in me when others thought otherwise and I tried my best not to let him down. I will always be indebted to him.
Al-Fatihah.
Brigadier-general Professor Dato' Dr. Ahmad Fawzi Mohd Basri passed away at 4.47pm yesterday afternoon at Hospital Selayang, Kuala Lumpur. He was buried around 11am this morning at the Muslim cemetery at Kampung Hijrah, Jitra, Kedah. He was 56.
He was also one of the hardest working people I had ever known in my life. Even though some people accused him of being too strict, I guess one needs to be if you were in a position like his.
He was the vice-chancellor of Universiti Utara Malaysia, a position he has held since Oct 2, 2001. He was also the National Service Training Council chairman.
He is the first vice-chancellor of a public university to hold the rank of brigadier-general in the Territorial Army, which he had served for 30 years. According to him, one thing he learnt from the Army, was loyalty to the organisation (UUM) and giving it the highest commitment.
Dr Ahmad Fawzi's started his academic career in 1972 as a tutor at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. He joined Universiti Utara Malaysia as a lecturer in 1984. He became UUM's deputy vice-chancellor (student affairs) in 1997 and was later promoted to vice-chancellor in May 2001.
You can view his profile in the university website here (It might not be active for long).
His death really took me by surprise because he was recovering the last time I saw him. He put his full faith in me when others thought otherwise and I tried my best not to let him down. I will always be indebted to him.
Al-Fatihah.
23 May 2005
Rebranding Telekom
I was not sure what Telekom's new logo meant or what their rebranding exercise was about. Some of my friends thought that it represnted Telekom malaysia with the symbol of either a bird or a turtle on the top. We were all wrong.
According to Jalilah, who's an Assistant Manager with Telekom at Melacca, the new logo with the alphabets "TM" represents the new group image comprising of three colours of orange, blue and red. Orange represents TM Net while the red represents Celcom. I didn't even realise that the two curves were of different colours.
Their website emphasizes that "this change emphasises a more fundamental approach towards instilling a customer service oriented culture amongst TM employees".
I was really pleased to note that they have placed "Customer satisfaction" as the "cornerstone of this new brand identity". I really hope that this is not mere talk and really translates into action.
One change which I really hope for is faster and cheaper broadband access. Or if they can't, let others who can, into the market.
According to Jalilah, who's an Assistant Manager with Telekom at Melacca, the new logo with the alphabets "TM" represents the new group image comprising of three colours of orange, blue and red. Orange represents TM Net while the red represents Celcom. I didn't even realise that the two curves were of different colours.
Their website emphasizes that "this change emphasises a more fundamental approach towards instilling a customer service oriented culture amongst TM employees".
I was really pleased to note that they have placed "Customer satisfaction" as the "cornerstone of this new brand identity". I really hope that this is not mere talk and really translates into action.
One change which I really hope for is faster and cheaper broadband access. Or if they can't, let others who can, into the market.
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