Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Entry carried forward...Year of The Rat!

I came back last night around 11.30, but was just plain too tired and sleepy to continue off where I left. A dear friend, MB, had called me after Isyak last night asking me to meet him. Since his voice sounded rather urgent, I decided to check out what was the matter. Turned out to be it was nothing much really, just that MB and wife just wanted to meet me over dinner, and took me to a new Chinese Muslim restaurant in Kelana Jaya. Except, for the week and more before this, I have managed to skip dinner, having a very light meal instead. But it would be impolite to do so last night, and I enjoyed myself a meal of Ramen with Lamb Roast, which I think is a surprise inclusion in a Chinese restaurant menu as none of my Chinese friends eats lamb. But there we were, enjoying ourselves.

Should you ever venture to Kelana Jaya in Petaling Jaya, I would recommend this restaurant. It has a friendly atmosphere with easy parking (at night) and a bounty of food and drinks to choose. The Ramen I had, which was a huge serving served in an equally huge bowl, had a price tag of RM7.50++ only. Considering some eateries now charge RM4.00 for a medium size bowl, I would think the meal I had was inexpensive. Further, perhaps because it is still new, the staff were surprisingly obliging on 2 occasions:
1. The staff had recommended i try Red Bean Milk Shake but instead sent Iced Lemon Tea. Since the colour of the latter was somewhat reddish, and the fact that I did not look proper, I began drinking. When I realised the mistake, I pointed it out to the staff, who promptly sent the correct order and had the house take the mistaken tab - free of charge!
2. MB's order of Rice with Beef Szechuan, tasted too much like lamb to him and he just could not continue. But the house were again obliging, changing the order to another which is more palatable to MB. Again, with no extra charge!
These, and I am sure you would agree with me, is something you rarely find today - the want to serve to customers satisfaction. And were I the one paying the bill, I would certainly not mind tipping the staff, which I think MB did too, as they certainly made up for the service which was a mite too slow. So, if ever you find yourself in Kelana Jaya looking for a meal with nice decor and decently priced menu, I would recommend 'Aladdin'.

By the time I got back, I was just too tired and sleepy to continue writing. Apart from rushing to several places earlier in the day, my leg - again! - was throbbing in pain (apart from the throb in my heart, that is). And early this morning, while the world tried hard to stay sober, Wak and I were making our rounds again to continue off where we left off yesterday.

Today - perhaps after the Lady Doctor had explained what a tandu is - lady luck was with us as we managed to secure 4 interviews within a space of 7 hours! That's not bad when you considered pre and post interview set-up, the interview itself, traveling and the short breaks we had in between. Though there were only about 5 questions asked to each person, you have to bear in mind that they are political personalities with many thoughts to share: Tn Syed Shahrir of MTUC, YB Ng Suee Lim of DUN Sekinchan, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, and saudara Lee Khai Loon of Youth4Change! They were each friendly and open during the pre and post stages, making the interviews a pleasant thing indeed! And if ever you want to watch a Javanese-speaking Chinese YB, do make a special effort to watch YB Ng. I do find him a small delight to watch but fear due to time constraint, webtv8 will be editing a significant portion from each person's time...sigh.

Ok, while I was jabbering one way, my mind was going the other - I still could not accept what tandu meant, and was more or less like that cat there trying to solve the Rubic's Cube puzzle. The lovely Lady Doctor had kindly explained it to me via a text message late last night and it somehow does not make sense. But one would be a great fool to ever question a lady who is not only great in looks, but also a Doctor at that! Then suddenly tonight, I saw Pak Mior's comment confirming the meaning of tandu as explained in the Lady Doctor's text below:
"Royalties usually sit in or on it, while being carried by their servants during travels." Hmm...pretty smart lady this Doctor. She also seem to concur with me that there is a hairline fracture or two somewhere around my ankle which would explain why the swelling has not subsided totally since November 10. Perhaps, I would be wiser to see a doctor friend in Putrajaya Hospital. Hmm...that's a delightful thought.

Anyway, the new year has begun. With it, perhaps, I should rethink and have another look at the priorities in my life. Could it, insyAllah, bring about a catalyst that would lead to...a whole new world?

Together, let us hope and pray for the best. For, though we may plan, none is a greater planner than Allah s.w.t., and only He knows best.

UPDATE 9.48pm
Since kerp had wanted directions to Aladdin, I have scanned and uploaded the restaurant's tissue packing. Its quite easy to find, just make sure you take the first left from where ever you are, and continue doing so all the way. I'm kidding, off course.


15 comments:

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

ooo...so that thing's called a tandu...thanks bg mior.

eh, i've heard so much about this said chinese muslim restaurant in KJ. aiyo bro, you should have provided info on its accessibility for wheelchair users especially. come on, tell me, where exactly this place is and if its cacat-friendly. thank you.

cakapaje said...

Salam kerp,

Bro, I believe the restaurant is accessible for wheelchair users and can be OKU-friendly, especially at the smoking section. Yes, you should try it out.

Will put an update with scanned map on the place.

Unknown said...

Ha, ha a tandu could also be a dais? Who knows?

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

whoaa, great, thanks for the info and direction. looks very easy to locate. not sure when but sure to try it out very soon. eh shah whats the price like btw?

tumpang lalu...

cikgu,

hehehehehe...how am i not to laugh. even that you can tease shah, and to some extend, yours truly. bak kata docTA, siapa makan cabai melaka, dia terasa pedaih...

but since this tandu was in direct reference to the blog owner, lets all tease him some more...hahahahha...

cakapaje said...

Salam Cigku,

Hehe, you are right, who knows? InsyAllah :) Let us pray for the best.

cakapaje said...

Oooh kerp,

mau balas dendam pasal terlewat 5 minit komen kat Cikgu ke? kah kah kah. Takpa :)

Anyway, the price is reasonable le bro. Like I mentioned in the entry, the huge bowl I had was RM7.50++, with a generous serving! Don't think many can beat that.

Mat Salo said...

Bro, I'm a frequenter of this joint [not too mention other joints across Asia of ill-repute ;)] as it's very close to my mom's SS3. So it has seen its share of my family reunions there. I give it a good two thumbs up!

For those with a western bent, Naillie's in Damansara Uptown has a nice 'jungle feel'. Problem is it's not so Kerp-friendly lah.. Unless they have a lift but all I noticed was the escalator. Hmmmm.. Restoran Muhibbah kat TTDI dah try dah ke?

cakapaje said...

Salam MS,

Great to see you drop by, bro! And thanks for the info :)

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

tumpang sikit...

MS bro,

thats normally the problem i have to put up with, accessibility or i would have frequented and tried all the exotic stuff. but Aladdin is a must-try. one of these days surely. Muhibbah used to be by the roadside, but still i'd give a 4 star rating for their delicious halal chinese-style servings.

Mior Azhar said...

Shah,
My favourite chinese muslim restaurant is the one in USJ Business Centre (USJ 9). Next to the mosque. It is run by a Chinese nationals (muslim no less) and very sedap. It's called Al-Jazeera (yeah, I know but the name was there even before the news cahnnel became popular here).
And It's kerp-friendly..

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

wahh, thanks bg mior. then the said restaurant is worth checking out. only that, entering subang jaya itself is a tougher task than accessing to disable-unfriendly premises.

but i'm an adventurous type. i loe jalan2 cari makan.

cakapaje said...

Salam Pak Mior,

I think I know that restaurant but have yet to try it. Hmm...we're getting a bit spoiled here now, aren't we?

cakapaje said...

Kerp bro,

Subang Jaya town itself may be congested, but USJ is quite alright. Then again, that Al-Jazeera place, parking can be a big problem.

tokasid said...

Salam Shah:

Aladdin...that sure is a place to give a try.I'll tell Mrs.TA about it.
If its good then will recommend to friends in Klang Valley.

Tandu: Laa...takkan hang tak tau Shah? Kalau tengok wayang kungfu zaman 80an dulu sure banyak scene geng2 Manchu di angkut dgn tandu sambil menghisap candu.

Hairline fracture? You might need some backslab for you heel and ankle to reduce the stress on that fracture.

You take care bro and have a nice weekend.

cakapaje said...

Wa'alaikumusalm warahmatullah,

Doc, when ever you and akak are in town, give kerp and me a call; perhaps we - if Cikgu and MS are around - we can meet at Aladdin.

Tang Tandu tu, tu le dia, time tengok cite kungfu and shaolin dulu dulu tu, tengok je pandai, sepatah ayat pun tak tahu, dok syok tengok aksi depa je :)

Alamak Doc, what's a backslab? I'm trying to avoid any fuss my emak may make if she knows the actual condition...so, buat derk je le - ni namanya api dalam serkam :)