PAPPARDELI, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO RE-OPEN?

Many, my friends and my children's friends, ask me when Pappardeli restaurant is to be re-opened. Why are they asking? Don't tell me there are no other restaurants in Kemaman that they want to go.

Actually they all, me including, are missing the good food served at Pappardelli.

I always make it a point to go there almost every Thursday night after arriving from Kuala Terengganu. A bowl of shark-fin soup (don't worry, it is not that kind of shark-fin that costs hundreds of ringgit a bowl) and a plate of fried rice are a must for me.

The soup gives me the heat that soothes away muscle aches and pains of the drive.

Many just fall in love with Pappardelli. Pappardeli is unique, there is no other restaurant in Chukai that serves that kind of food - niche market and the service, well better than most.

Suddenly, the owner of the building, I have met him once during the opening free meal, gave a month's notice for the owner to close down.

I don't know for what reason he did that. Rumours have it that he was uneasy to see and heard that it was successful

I know he has all the rights to do whatever he thinks best, but to close something that is thriving, and mind you not many of our people have been successful in this line of business, just because he wanted to close was no reason at all.

I don't mind if he wants to start something there, but to let it go just like that is a sin.

Months have passed and I see the shop lot is still close The last time I drove through was last Saturday night. It was still close. Well, I saw signs that there was some works on the floor - there were rubbles there.

Meanwhile the owner, so I was told, is still waiting for the key to a shop lot next door whose owner has promised to let it to him. This time around I hope he will sign a renting agreement with the owner, just to ensure history does not repeat itself.

Meanwhile, to all Pappardelli food lovers out there, you all can still go to their outlet in KSB...but it is only open during office hours.

It looks like I have to continue missing the food...

A Crying Tree Stump

Everybody heard something crying aloud as soon as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)left the tree stump that he had been using to convey his messages to his followers for a new mimbar. Initially no one knew who was crying. Then they realized that it was that tree stump. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) approached the stump and stroked it. It stopped crying as soon as the Prophet pacified it by saying that it would be with him in the Heaven.
 The message: Even a tree stump missed the prophet, what about us?

It is here again

It is just unbelievable and almost unreal how suspicion, negative thoughts and perceptions have changed the way we love each other, I mean my wife and I.

No, we have never stopped loving each other. It is just that her biology, physiology and not to mention her hormone levels, I guess that had somewhat soured our husband-and-wife intimate relationship. 


She had somewhat lost interest, while I had not! I never said that we had completely stopped performing the ritual. We still did it, but with less vigour and volunteerism. It had become a one-sided affair most of the time and almost robotic to say the least.


Contrary to the popular saying, absence sickened, instead of making the hearts grow fonder!

Suddenly I became a monster. Several minutes delay in responding to her sms or call was interpreted as being with someone else. Giggles and voices of the opposite sex caught on while we were talking over the hp were taken as I was having dinner or good times with the opposite gender.

It was difficult and outright mentally-disturbing when here I was doing things, sitting watching television, having dinner and sleeping, alone and there she was accusing me of having jolly good times with someone else! 


Only prayers and inner-self-strength made me continuously sane during this trying period. All the challenges that we had faced together made us persevere.


Then, just like that, everything change for the better. Sure, the tantrum of a jealous wife is still there, but it is of very much less severity than before.


Our intimacy, well we are now just like a newly wed couple. Our time spent together was quality time. It is no more robotic in nature, instead it is always full of life, zealousness and zest. In short, it will make newly weds run for their money if they do not excel in it!


Thanks Allah for bringing light to her and making her accept the way our life is at the moment. I just feel obligated to the students and the faculty. It is my responsibility to Allah to pass on what I am blessed with before they are lost with age.

 After all she is the one and the only wife I have for now. I'll never leave her, let alone abuse her.

I have been busy

A friend asked me why I had not been up-dating my blog for quite some time. Well, to tell you the truth, of late I have been busy with my Facebook instead.

It is just much simpler to jot a few words here and there rather on some people's wall or status than to write a story or an idea. I am so much engrossed with Fb that my children called me a grand stalker!


Also, I have been busy re-writing you know My Moments in the novel format. I am now in the last chapter. I am still thinking how to close it. It is difficult as life is still going on and there are so many things to write.


I am also busy searching for the right title for it. Anybody who can help me in coming up with an appropriate pulling title please put up your hand and give me your suggestion.


It is about my life, a son of a forever moving policeman, from 4 years old to the last few years of my life. There were animals in most parts of my moments. 


To you publishers out there, or anyone who knows or has influence on any publishers interested in giving it a go with an autobiography that I think worth publishing and reading, please give me a tinkle. May be we can work something worthwhile for all.


Then I will be continue with my other two novels. They were almost complete, but need further editing.
 

Stem Cells

One morning during breakfast at a food stall in front of PGA Camp in Kubang Badak I overheard a group people from a table in front of me talking seriously about something. I did not mean to eavesdrop, but the topic was something I think I knew a bit to share with them.

It was about stem cells. They were talking about the use of umbilical cord stem cells (UCSC).

I then joined in the discussion from my table. "What are stem cells?" They asked me.

They are cells that have not differentiated fully and can form any specialized cells if the need arise. The first use of stem cells in treating disease is the use of bone marrow for the treatment of leukemia.

They seemed so interested in what I told them. They even invited me to give a talk on stem cells to their musola congregation. I said why not?

Paper Chase - A New Illness

Our youngest made us proud today. She scored straight A's in her PMR, and so other 18 of her friends. They were from SMKSI, the oldest secondary school in Chukai.

I am very happy to see how jubilant they were, these high-achievers. So to were their proud parents.

However, I saw sad tears in two of her best friends. They scored 7 A's and 1 B. To them and many more who scored 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7's they thought that they had done badly in PMR.

No, you haven't my dear. You have done very well, no matter what you feel and others think.

I saw a Chinese girl crying badly as she was not announced as one of the 19 who scored straight A's. She was so distraught that her mother and friends had to console her.

She was always a straight A students all these while. That's why. The pressure was so great on her to score straight A's. Scoring 6 or 7 A's was not sufficient for her, that was what she think.

The paper chase is fast putting unnecessary pressure on our children. If left unstopped, it will depress our less-mighty academic achievers.

It is not necessary to scoretraight A's to succeed in life!

Congratulation to all of your!

A Lady Crying

More often than not she gave me that please-help-me-if-you-can look. We also noticed that she once, I missed 'te in a while wiped the tears from her eyes. She was crying. Her eyes were red and swollen. The man with her, could not tell  who he was to her, was in full big-biker's uniform - red and white leathing thing and boots.
He was very clear not showing any sympathy or empathy for her. All he was interested was communicating with someone else over his mobile. More than a few  times now he walked away from the table just to talk in privacy with someone somewhere.
I was sure he was talking to  another woman and he would not want her to hear what they were talking about.
She was not having anything to eat with him. She quickly changed from eating in to eating away.
A few minutes later and after Diyana's reminders for us not to be busy body, I missed the 'the end' of their melodrama. He was on his bike bike and she was quickly out of the Thai restaurant and out of our sight. But one thing very clear was that they departed from each other and went separate ways.
It was ironic- there we were celebrating our 29thwedding anniversary and just a few metres away, theye were separating!