Firstly, growing up in JB, we never ate Laksa Johor at shops. NEVER. It's a traditional, home-cooked dish, and that's how we used to prepare and consume it. It was something for special occasions, especially. Our Hari Raya would simply not be complete without our atuk or one of my aunties making Laksa Johor for everyone at our family home in Kampung Melayu, JB. (my late mom's own specialty was mee rebus.)
So, Laksa Johor for me = fabulous food + meaningful memories.
It's a relatively "simple" dish. We use spaghetti, instead of other types of noodles. (Some people foolishly laugh at this and say that because of this, Laksa Johor is a recent creation. But in fact, it was because the Sultan of Johor was a world-traveller even back in the 19th Century, and he took a liking to spaghetti and asked for it to be part of this traditional dish.)
Then there are the condiments; taugeh, daun kesum, shredded cucumber, bawang and caipoh. MUST. HAVE. CAIPOH. The pièce de résistance is the gravy; a thick and flavourful fish-based goodness. And not forgetting the sambal belacan!
These days, plenty of restaurants serve Laksa Johor, especially the ones that specialise in Johor cuisine, even in the Klang Valley. But over the years, it's been a hit and miss affair for me personally. (Even places touting to serve "authentic" Johor food have failed miserably when it comes to Laksa Johor.)
But here are 3 places that I recommend!
1. The Teapot Deli, SACC Mall, Shah Alam
2. Puteri Restoran, Jalan Datuk Sulaiman, TTDI
Couldn't find a pic of me at the restaurant, so here's that time I tapau-ed some home. And yes, the real Johor way is to makan pakai tangan!
Masya Allah! When I woke up this morning, I never expected to be sitting in the same room as Shaikh Dr Abdal Hakim Murad, listening to him talk right here in Malaysia. But that's exactly what was written for us.
It started early in the morning when I was scrolling social media and saw a video of Shaikh Hakim attending a Madani program in Putrajaya. I literally jumped out of my chair! Searched all over and finally found the info that he'll also be giving a talk at a program hosted by Khazanah Research Institute later in the day. I quicky RSVPed, and the rest is history.
Shaikh Hakim is the founder and dean of the Cambridge Muslim College and also an Imam at the Cambridge Mosque. He has a unique style of speaking that's calm and measured, yet so profound, poetic and full of wisdom.
And as I've written before, my mind was actually blown when I got to know that Shaikh Hakim's brother is Henry Winter, the football journalist whose writing I've been reading basically my entire life.
Here it is, the first full episode of PODCAST KITA ANAK GEN-X! I had actually prepared a different topic for the premier ep, but in late October, my ex-Media Prima colleagues started sharing their favourite Sri Pentas memories on social media. The thing that has been talked about for so long, was finally going to happen: Media Prima companies were starting to migrate to Balai Berita in Bangsar, leaving Sri Pentas in Bandar Utama for good!
And so I thought hey, why not I share my own wonderful memories working at the iconic building? (Something, in truth, I never expected to happen in my life.)
(Wrote this some years ago, but here's the updated version!)
It’s an argument that could go on and on, but here are my own personal favourite Top 10 sporting moments of all time…
10 My own layup vs Malaysia
It was 1995. International Islamic University vs the Malaysian National Team in a friendly match. I was playing like crap until that moment. Someone in defence grabbed a rebound and I quickly made a run for it to the other side of the court. I caught the ball beautifully and made the 1-2 step before laying up the ball for 2 points. Against Malaysia! You can just call me Awesome. Thank you.
9 Jonny Wilkinson’s drop-goal at the death
Even Hollywood couldn’t write the script any better. England and Australia were tied at 17 all in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final with only seconds to go in extra time. And when England won a penalty, everyone in the world knew what would happen in the next couple of passages, and Jonny was not to be denied. His kick was perfect. And England became world champions.
8Kimi Raikkonen snatches the F1 world title
All season long it looked like the 2007 drivers’ title would go to McLaren’s rookie Lewis Hamilton. When it came down to the final race in Brazil, no one gave Raikkonen any chance of winning the crown, being seven points behind. The Iceman needed to win the race while hoping Hamilton would royally choke and finish 7th or worse. And what do you know, that’s exactly what happened! Raikkonen drove a perfect race and snatched the championship by a single point.
7 Alan Kennedy and the Kings of Europe
I was nine-years-old then but I remember waking up at 3am to watch this European Cup final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in 1981. It was goalless in the first half, but deep into the second, Kennedy crashed a beautiful angled shot into the Roma goal for a wonderful win. Ah, the good old days.
6Mike Tyson brings down Spinks
Tyson was King of the World then, knocking out hapless opponents like they’re nothing. And Mr. Spinks was unfortunately, one of them. I remember sitting down expecting some sort of resistance from Tyson’s undefeated opponent. But the fight lasted a mere 91seconds when Tyson knocked Spinks out with a super right hand. I hadn’t even started on my kerepek when it ended.
5 Michael Johnson’s 200
The conditions were perfect for a world record at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Johnson looked supremely confident. And when the gun was fired, it was evident that there can only be one winner in the 200m sprint. Johnson ran the race of his life and clocked an earth shattering 19.32. Usain Bolt has topped that time, but Johnson’s run is the one that sticks in my mind.
4Tiger Woods wonder shot at the 2005 US Masters
It’s The Shot that’s been recognised as the best of the past decade. It was at the 16th Hole. Woods still had a long way to go to the flag. When the ball got there, it stalled at the cup for a couple of seconds (for a close-up on the Nike logo) before dropping in. The commentator asked: “In you life, have you seen anything like that?” Giler ke apa??? ...
3 The Thomas Cup finally comes home!
I bet most of you reading this were in front of the telly as history unfolded. Malaysia had not won the Thomas Cup for 25 years and we were up against Indonesia in the 1992 final at Stadium Negara. It came down to the pair of Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang, and they defeated the mighty duo of Rexy Mainaky and Ricky Subagja in 3 nerve-wracking sets. When Beng Kiang gloriously killed that final point, 20 million Malaysians screamed and cheered their hearts out. I probably cried a little too :(
2Michael Jordan wins his 6th ring
With 20seconds on the clock in 1998's game 6 of the NBA Finals, Jordan stole the ball from Karl Malone and dribbled up the floor. Bryon Russell took up the job of manning Jordan. Futile it was. Jordan calmly dribbled, cross-overed, and sank the winning shot that gave Chicago their 6th title. Simple and expected, yet majestic in its execution. And with that, Jordan sealed his place as the greatest ever.
1 Klopp and co right before my eyes!
I always say that I've been a Liverpool fan since I was a dot on an ultrasound scan. And growing up, I never even imagined stepping foot at Anfield, let alone celebrating the triumph of winning a trophy along with hundreds of thousands of other Scousers. Which was what happened on 2nd June, 2019. It's a long story how we actually got there, but the fam and I were in fact a part of Liverpool history, welcoming home the team, along with the prestigious Champions League trophy (won the night before vs Spurs) in the heart of the city. YNWA!
There are quite a number of makan places that I started going regularly after I got a transfer back from Miri to Kuala Lumpur back in 1997. Some are no longer there, while some are still standing strong. For example, the Seng Nam coffee shop near Bangunan Abdul Samad closed its doors some 10 years ago after serving KLites their signature roti bakar and coffee for 85 years!
Meanwhile, Nasi Lemak Tanglin in Lake Gardens, first opened in 1948, is still standing (although not exactly at the original location), and is still my favourite nasi lemak in the Klang Valley.
The other place I have not stopped frequenting till this very day is Ikan Bakar Istana Negara, Jalan Bellamy. People can say this or that place have better ikan bakar, but I come back here again and again cos it's familiar and is still so damn good. (Specifically, the Sri Melaka stall.)
But, how come there's a row of ikan bakar stalls just outside of one of the gates of the old Royal Palace? Watch this video below!
Alhamdulillah, a great eye-opening session with Ustaz Hamza Tzortzis and Sheikh Fahad Tasleem today entitled Firm in Faith, organised by Al-Nawawi Institute, and held at Sunway University.
Ustaz Hamza, the Sapience Institute UK CEO, is someone I regularly listen to via podcasts and I've personally learned a lot from his takes on fighting atheism and dealing with modernity as Muslims.
What's awesome about the session too was the young people in attendance, who were refreshingly clued-in and were always eager to say their piece. I still have hope!
October 2000 it was when I first experienced autumn. How did I end up in Albany? And how did I get lost in New York City? Watch the video below for the full story!
MIKE TYSON will be fighting tomorrow, so here's a throwback story.
It was in 1990/91, at the UIA matriculation campus in Lembah Pantai. That morning, there was going to be a Mike Tyson fight on TV, so everyone was pumped up and excited like mad.
After I had finished class, I made a dash to the TV room. There were loads of other guys already there but I managed to get a good viewing spot.
Then the TV room became packed like sardines. Full like a mini bus!
BUT just like a mini bus too, there were guys still trying to squeeze in.
Then there was this one guy who squeezed in and sat right in front of the TV, but not before slamming his books on the TV cabinet (for whatever reason).
That caused the antenna to fall off and the reception went KAPUT!
Immediately everyone booed and heckled the guy. "Woi pasang balik lah!" "Amende lah kau!"
The guy straight away panicked and muka pucat. He fiddled around with the antenna and we finally got the reception back. Phewww...
The fight then started, and Mike Tyson won in just a matter of seconds. Then we went back to class.
Let me tell you a story about Stephen Rahman Hughes from all those years ago.
He came into the studio for MHI that morning looking all perky and energetic. When introduced to myself and Nurul, he greeted us with, "Hey Mzul, how are you?" "How are you, Nurul?" He made an effort to find out our names.
Maybe his manager told him, but it was important to him. And we had a good conversation from thereon, like we've known each other for ages.
Meanwhile, some people come to the set and ask us, "Er maaf, tapi siapa nama ya?" Then proceed to refer to us as "Selamat Pagi Malaysia" or "HMI". Or even say, "Saya jarang tengok program ni."
Not that I'm famous and expect to be recognised, but it's only polite when you go somewhere, you find out who you're meeting, no?
Stephen had great PR and knew how to create a rapport. A real professional. Thanks, Mr. Hughes :)
Historic! Today was the soft opening of Jambatan Marudi. No more ferries from now on, and the bridge that stretches across Sungai Baram will reduce traveling time from Miri to Marudi, to only 30mins!
I have a soft spot for this place. This pic is of me at a long house somewhere in Marudi circa 1996. At that time, the magistrates in Miri (there were 2 of us) were also required to sit at circuit courts, including Marudi, once a month.
There were no roads from Miri to Marudi, so we either had to take the boat (2 1/2 hr journey ), or the MAS twin otter plane. The town itself was so small that you could walk the entire place in 10 mins.
The national papers came 1 1/2 days later and there were only two good hotels around. Which became a problem for me on one occasion.
I can't remember what the case was, but I sentenced this one accused to imprisonment for a period of time. I then went back to the hotel after proceedings as usual. In the afternoon, I received a call from the hotel reception. I was told that the father of the accused was downstairs and wanted to see me. They guessed right as to where I was staying 😑
Of course I had to tell the reception that I'm not allowed to see anyone outside of court and chided them a little for revealing I was staying there. I think I didn't leave the hotel until I had to go back to Miri, and just ordered food to the room!
I gotta say that Kuala Lumpur has been experiencing a renaissance of sorts for arts-related events these past couple of years. Different groups of passionate peeps have been working tirelessly to ensure that this city has more than just food and fancy buildings to offer locals and tourists alike, so a big THANK YOU to everyone involved!
The latest was KALAM: Confluence of Writers & Ideas, a community-driven literary gathering, which was a part of the Kreatif KL Festival, organised by Think City. It took place this past weekend at several locations, including the Muzium Telekom.
We managed to catch some of the action, and it was a pretty awesome one: a chat with our own national treasure and world-renowned cartoonist, Datuk Lat!
(I wanted to attend a couple more sessions on Sunday, but the Malaysian MotoGP in Sepang was also waiting for me. Haha)
Anyway, check out my own experience in the video below:
No, it's really not that difficult to find halal food in London, as many of you already know. But what's also great is that, unlike some other European cities where you must love kebab very much, London offers a lot more variety that includes Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisine!
And here are some of our favourite joints... Enjoy!
Salam and hello! Introducing my new podcast series, PODCAST KITA ANAK GEN-X. There are 2 different "productions", actually. A full-length series that will be out soon, and these SHORTS. Happy watching, and let me know if you have suggestions for any Gen-X-related topics I could cover in the future too!
One of the compulsory courses I had the pleasure of attending while in the judiciary was the etiquette course held at Intan. We had a couple of trainers who taught us basically everything about dining etiquette, formal wear dos and dont's, how to converse with dignitaries etc.
One of my colleagues from the AG chambers really took the course seriously cos he believed that one day, he would actually be dining with the Queen.
But it was a really interesting couple of days learning how to eat soup the proper way, and knowing which fork to use for every course. And oh, if we're offered alcohol at these functions, just say "no, thank you" politely; no need to be apologetic about it.
But no, my ex-colleague never quite had the chance to dine with the Queen of England, as far as I know 😅
I travelled from JB to KL with my late father in a packed van to watch the 1986 Malaysia Cup final. It was my first time tengok Tugu Peringtan, and pergi Pertama Complex and Merdeka Stadium. But then, Johor lost 1-6 to Selangor. We got booed at the stadium. I was heartbroken and don't even remember the journey home.
BUT a couple of months ago, I was part of the 80,000 people at the Bukit Jalil Stadium to witness the FA Cup final between JDT and Selangor.
And the final score was... JDT 6 Selangor 1! Revenge is sweet, I tell ya!
So, we were talking about poetry when I told my daughter Tia this TRUE STORY:
It was in 1990/91 at the IIUM Matriculation Centre in Lembah Pantai (see photo). This was IIUM back in the day. Everything was pretty much segregated and still very, um, conservative.
So one night, our law faculty had a Malam Puisi at the main hall. The project head had earlier called for performers and quite a handful volunteered, including myself and classmate/roommate/bandmate Fino.
On the fateful night, the first guy stepped up, and he went, "Kacaaa Kacaaa Kotaaa..." So puisi. So dramatic.
A few others followed suit. We had sajaks, gurindams and guys who syair-ed the night away.
Then it was our turn.
Fino and I stepped on to the stage and into the spotlight. I walked up to the microphone and said: "We're going to present something different. But this is ALSO poetry."
Then we proceeded to rap "Ice Ice Baby".
Jaws literally dropped.
Of course, we also had to change some of the words. Art is art, but we didn't want to risk suspension or expulsion for the sake of freakin' Vanilla Ice!
We finished the performance and literally ran out of the hall.
We were then told that the supervising lecturer wanted to see us. But we never took up on the invitation. 😅
I was going thru my IG archive and came across this video taken at Cottesloe Beach, Western Australia. So, here's a bunch of other sunset vids/pics in my collection. Masya Allah, they're so beautiful ❤️
