Saturday 25 June 2016

Langkawi Chronicles: Buka @ Bayu

After so many Buffet dinners, I finally had sufficient presence of mind to actually snap some pictures for the blog.

Had a bit more 'jalan jalan cari makan' this year, compared against last. Which also explains why there is hardly any reduction in my weight this time around, fasting notwithstanding.

Bayu Restaurant, is located in Ombak Villa, Langkawi Lagoon resort off Teriang, Langkawi.







And this is Mak, smiling over the feast.





All things considered the food was good - Fish Mandhy and Tube Pasta Casserole was particularly yummy, as was their Lamb and Beef Koftas, as expected of a 4 star establishment.

Service was speedy (though replenishment for certaim food items were slow), probably on account of the throngs of people who kwpt attacking certain dishes and beverage. Iftar worked outbto about RM84 for 2 persons (usual is RM48/adult).

We will be coming back to the restaurant a few days from now for a Company Get-Together Dinner and I am so looking forward to it.

Monday 20 June 2016

Good read

This is a good read.

Maybe I have staff who feel this way.

Bad mistakes that make staff leave.

The horizon is far, but people will still walk towards it.


Tuesday 14 June 2016

Du'a in Ramadhan.

اَللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
Ya Allah,tunjukkanlah kami jalan yg lurus..

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ
Iaitu jalan golongan yg Engkau kurniakan nikmat kpada mereka..

مِنَ النًّبِيِّينَ وَ الصِّدِّيقِينَ وَ الشُّهَدَآءِ وَ الصَّـالِحِينَ
Yang terdiri daripada para nabi,para siddiq(org2 yg benar),para syahid dan orang2 soleh..

وَ حَسُنَ اُوْلَـاءِكَ رَفِيقًا
Dan merekalah sebaik2 pendamping..

اَللَّهُمَّ الجْعَلْنَا مِنْ اَهْلِ الْعِبَادَة
Ya Allah jadikanlah kami dari kalangan ahli ibadah..

وَلَا تَجْعَلْنَا مِنْ اَهْلِ الْمَعْصِيَّة
Dan janganlah Engkau jadikan kami dari pelaku maksiat....

اَللَّهُمَّ يَا مُصَرِّفَ الْقُلُوبِ
Ya Allah ,yang mengawal hati..

صَرِّفْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ
Bimbinglah hati kami untuk mentaatiMu..

اَللَّهُمَّ يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ
Ya Allah,yang membolak balikkan hati..

ثَبِّتْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلَى دِينِكَ
Tetapkanlah hati kami atas agamaMu...

Ameen...

Thursday 9 June 2016

Brownout

Read this somewhere -

“They seem to be performing fine: putting in massive hours, grinding out work while contributing to teams, and saying all the right things in meetings. However, they are operating in a silent state of continual overwhelm, and the predictable consequence is disengagement.”

And the end result is they leave.

Sunday 5 June 2016

Hello Ramadhan.

It has been the longest time since I did an introspective blogpost.

Felt like it was just weeks ago we celebrated Syawal and yet here we are, at the fasting month's doorstep again.

I chanced upon a beautiful video about racial origins today on social media. This video was about the idea that no human is an island. That we are unique yet completely everybody. About there being no such thing as a master race.

The individuals in the clip had so much revealed to them, with some of them carrying DNA markers from as far as they could have ever believed.

A lady found herself in tears , welcoming with open arms, an actual blood cousin, from Turkey, a country she professes to disdain. Under the honest eye of science, she learned firsthand the futility of hanging on to racial bias.

Another chap, Ray - strong, masculine and prideful of his English heritage also came to know he had a quarter of his genes originating from Germany. A country his family has fought against in the wars before.

As I am sat there watching them, I quietly enjoyed his small world-view crashing down. Not so smug now eh?

Then it happened.

The realisation that I am racist too.

In my own closeted mindset, I assumed that Ray was this 'on-his-high-horse-white-is-right' type of person. Oh the hipocrisy of it all. In that split second, racism reared its hideous head. From the recesses of my own heart.

Let it be known that internalised hate, bigotry and racism, even when unspoken and hidden, even in jest as I often do exclaiming I am not Malay, is still an evil to be confronted.

Because if we do not combat it it becomes so easy to nourish the notion that we are better than others. This holier-than-thou attitude will manifest into more sinister forms. Always ready in the darkness to pounce onto anyone who dares opine differently.

I blush in shame recalling the times I acted in a racist manner - behind the wheels, in discussion with trusted mates or even by my lonesome.

Islam teaches to treat all as your brothers, love all your neighbours equally and there should be no compulsion upon those who are not Muslim. There are lines in the holy Quran that speaks of unbelievers but these are never, never to be used as a cheap excuse to hate. They are there in the good book as a descriptive adjective, a historical record if you may, of an era when so much was happening.

It is not a free-pass to treat others as beneath us. Ever.

People who pick and choose to practice only specific parts, separate from the holistic teaching Islam has to offer, is completely missing the point and have in fact ran astray.

Thusly, back to the slap to the face.

What should anyone, when at times we can be so far removed from the tenets of Islam, ever do?

Start with continously striving to cleanse our heart of bigotry. Small steps.

I am Mohd Razee B Mohd Salleh and I am from everybody.

Welcome back Ramadhan. It has been too long since we last met.

Why

What were you thinking McD?

Friday 3 June 2016

Out & About: Sakae Sushi, Aman Sentral, Kedah

It was a long day yesterday, full of walking around and getting up and waiting. Barely had time for lunch.

Thus when the opportunity presented itself, I went to Sakae Sushi for an early dinner/late lunch.

Didn't have that much. Thankfully the quality was still fairly good.




Started with a glug of iced green tea before enjoying my slices of Salmon and Butter Fish Sashimi. They felt a bit waterlogged (you will know if you have eaten really good Sashimi what this means) but the flesh was still firm.

Then came my Yasai Kakiage and Vegetable Tempura.




These two dishes are a constant in Sakae and they offer most bang for the buck if just prepared upon order. The battered vegetables were moist and succulent on the inside with a delightful crunchy exterior. And the portion is fairly large for RM4.99 and RM6.99 a plate respectively.

Cleansed my palate with some pickled young ginger after before making my way back home.

Thursday 2 June 2016

Missed the ferry.

When being timely is too mainstream and you miss the ferry.

Get an overpriced breakfast.



Thank god for coffee and warm food.