DAY 1458-1463

 Aug 29 - Sept 3

1) The past few days have been utter bliss. Since coming back, I've been very well cared for by my parents, and I've settled into my new routine back home. It genuinely is such a joy to be back in the environment that I am most familiar with, and to marvel at all the new buildings and shopping complexes. There have been some casualties from the COVID-19 pandemic though; both Syeun Hotel (where I used to go for piano examinations) and Heritage Hotel Ipoh have now closed. On the bright side, many new cafes and small eateries have sprung up, and you can bet your last dollar I wouldn't miss an opportunity to go exploring. 

2) Over the weekend, my parents took me to some of the usual eating spots we used to frequent whenever I return home. These include the stadium, Gourmet Square, and a restaurant whose real name I can't recall but which I've nicknamed "Morning Glory" because one of the stalls sells a similarly named spaghetti dish. On Sunday, my mom took us all to a newly opened cafe called HBR Cafe (Mandarin: 海南仔) which sells authentic Hainanese cuisine. These include kaya and butter toast, glutinous rice, and Hainanese-style chicken chop with rice. I really liked the owner's concept of converting an old single-detached house into a cafe, complete with decor from the 60's and 70's.

3) In addition to the food trips, I've made some short stops at all my old schools, from kindergarten all the way to high school. I stopped by Cator Avenue and Anderson Middle School (my primary and secondary school respectively), before hopping over to Baptist Kindergarten for a quick photo. None of the institutions were open as it was Sunday, but I still managed to get some nice photos in front of my past schools. The only school I haven't visited yet is Tenby International School (where I did my A-Levels in 2014/2015). I'll definitely be looking at making some trips back to visit my teachers, in the coming weeks. 

4) On Monday, my uncle invited my mom and I over for afternoon tea, at Kinta Riverfront Hotel. It was a Merdeka-themed meal, with a lot of local favourites such as roti jala and satay (skewered meat) replacing the usual sandwiches and scones. For just RM38 for 2 pax (or roughly 7 GBP for two), I'd say it was definitely good value for money, not to mention an excellent opportunity to reunite with all my relatives after one long year. In short, I had a really nice time.

5) That's about it for this edition of my blog. Hoping to create as many memories as possible before heading back to my medical programme in the Pearl of the Orient - Penang! Thanks very much as always for visiting, and enjoy the many pictures below. Have a nice day, cheers!

Afternoon tea with my maternal grandmother, my uncles and aunts, and my many cousin brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces - @ Kinta Riverfront

"X" marks the spot - three generations of the Chan family reunited after a year :)

Ten-Good Japanese Restaurant

Ardent followers of my blog will remember how I often visit this Japanese restaurant whenever I'm back on holiday

I tried something new this time - the hamburger steak set!

(as you can see, the set comes with many different side dishes, including miso soup, steamed egg custard, fried chicken (karaage), salad, and dessert)

A very enjoyable experience indeed

My mum brought back some food for lunch today - two different types of noodles (the thicker yellow egg noodles and thinner rice vermicelli) on the left, and some spring rolls (popiah) on the right, complete with some ice cold coffee

Iced coffee

Today my mum made some wonderful chicken rice to go with her equally excellent ABC soup (basically potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes)

Last Sunday, we went out to a restaurant which I've nicknamed "Morning Glory", as one of the food stalls sells a spaghetti dish named as such

I had my usual cheese and mushroom omelette - a staple of mine whenever I come here XD

For lunch, my mom brought us to this new cafe called HBR Cafe - which specialises in Hainanese cuisine

(case in point, this excellent "kaya" pau - sweet buns with coconut jam custard - delightful!)

This is glutinous rice with kaya - other versions serve the rice with chicken curry instead

My mom giving the thumbs up to the dish :)

I tried the Hainanese chicken chop - which infuses a bit of Eastern flair to a Western recipe, for example by marinating the chicken in soy sauce

My dad had the dry curry chicken noodles

This is kaya and butter toast - simple, but goes exceedingly well with a nice cup of coffee or tea!

Back to school! My primary school where I spent most of my formative years

Honestly the colour scheme seems a bit strange to me - when I was a student the school was painted in a nice beige tone

My secondary school - where I spent the better part of five years

With the famous clock tower in the background

The sign (in Malay) reads: To arrive with hope, and leave with success

Celebrating our nation's 63rd Independence Day (Merdeka)

Back to Baptist Kindergarten - where I spent my very early years

It's such a strange feeling to be back here after almost 20 years!

Dinner at Parkson Grand Food Court - this is Japanese style omelette with curry

Breakfast at McDonald's (or as we Malaysians call it - Mekdi)!

Some traditional Chinese biscuits

(we had egg tarts, coconut tarts, kaya puffs, and pork meat tarts)

all washed down with my mom's wonderful "pak kor yee mai" (barley and gingko nut dessert)

A close-up of the delicious snacks

Here at Kinta Rivertfront today for afternoon tea :)

The usual suspects have been replaced - we now have (from the bottom tier: roti jala with chicken curry, chicken and lamb skewers (not visible); mid-tier: grilled salmon  sandwiches, decadent brownies; top-tier: some sloppy burgers!)

Just noticed that the colour of my cup matches my shirt

Very happy to meet up with everyone again :)

Chicken rice @ the Stadium

Some satay (skewered meat - usually served with peanut sauce and accompanying cucumbers/onion slices)

Our very own version of deep-fried prawn crackers, served with dark sweet sauce and crushed peanuts

Lunch at Gourmet Square. I've had the opportunity to sample the chicken rendang set - which comes with two different vegetable sides, a hard boiled egg, and a heapful of pandan rice topped with a mix of curries. 10/10 would recommend