Sunday 7 June 2015

Kuala Terengganu Trip : Day 1


Hi there my fellow bloggers and readers! My sincere apologies for the long silence. I just came back from Kuala Terengganu yesterday. The reason for my trip was for this event.


This is my first ever school reunion. I am sure you are familiar with high school or university reunions but primary school? Well, this is the Sekolah Rendah Sultan Sulaiman 1 (SRSS 1) standard 6 class reunion. Yes, folks, I was once in standard 6 back in 1978. That was 37 years ago! I only remember a handful of ex-classmates and I was quite apprehensive about attending the event.

Anyway, I arrived in Kuala Terengganu on the day of the event. My brother tagged along as my bodyguard for company. Since the event was to start at 2pm, it was back to my parents' house first for lunch and to freshen up.

My mum cooked Chicken Oyster Sauce and made some acar. 


She also bought Kay Pachok/Ayam Pachok which is a Terengganu specialty. 


Mum also cooked cauliflower soup.


It was a good simple lunch. After that I had to get ready for the event.


I felt like a kid going to school for the first time because I was quite nervous. I did not know what to expect as I have not seen my schoolmates for more than 30 years. I actually thought of skipping the event at the last minute (coward!). I voiced my intentions to my mum and dad but they encouraged me to go. And so I did.

When I got to the venue (at Permai Park Inn), all my fears disappeared as everyone was so warm and welcoming. It was a very happy day for me, reconnecting with old friends and making new friends too because I did not know some of them when I was in school. 

And as with all events, there's plenty of food. I'll just show you the food photos OK?

Some deep fried stuff. 

More deep fried stuff.

I think this is fried chicken.

Sandwiches and fruits. 

Some sort of salad.

Rojak buah and pickles.

Tauhu sumbat.

Keropok and kerepek.

Nasi goreng. It was delicious. This was the only thing I ate with some sayor kolok.

Terengganu Laksa. I didn't take a picture of the gravy.
Desserts.
Kuih Cara.
More desserts.
These are contributions from my ex-classmates. Traditional Terengganu delicacies.
My friend Ratna's Sayor Kolok which was a big hit.
Jala Mas which was packed in plastic boxes and distributed to everyone. I can't remember who made this. It was very good but way too sweet for me.

With the benefit of hindsight, I should have skipped lunch hah..hah... I missed out on so many of the goodies because I was quite full. I only managed a small portion of nasi goreng and sayor kolok. 

The event ended with a group photography by which time my brother and my parents were already parked up front to pick me up. After the photoshoot I had to hastily say goodbye to my friends. 

The reunion went so well and I really felt stupid about being nervous and worried. A special thanks to my friend Umi K who was my pillar of support. Too bad quite a number of my friends could not turn up due to other commitments.

Oh wait, let me show you what I won at the lucky draw (everyone won a gift, this is the sort of lucky draw that I like hah..hah...) - a clip lock container! It's perfect because I can use it to store keropok hee..hee...


So that's it for day 1. I'll share more on my Kuala Terengganu trip in the coming posts :)

30 comments:

  1. No wonder you've been quiet. I love reunions...to see how old everyone has become and I still look...not too bad. Muahahahahaha!!!! Hmmm...78, so young. I left school in 1971, after Form 6.

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    1. hah..hah..hah...I loved the reunion. Looking forwards to the next one :)

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  2. Hi Phong Hong,
    What a wonderful time you had, meeting up with old school-mates! I have lost touch with all my class-mates!

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    1. Hi Joyce! If not for this reunion, I would have lost touch with all my classmates. So glad to reconnect again.

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  3. Hi Phong Hong, good to see you back again. So nice to meet up with friends from primary days. Great get together after so many years and did you all exchange contact numbers?

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    1. Hi Nancy! Yes, we have a WhatsApp group and now everyone in the group can keep in touch.

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  4. I am drooling over your mom's homecooked food!;)

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  5. A standard 6 reunion! Oh my! So, we know your age already lah now. Hihihi

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  6. I thought you went MIA or sulking in the corner. My only fear was dengue fever again. Thank God you are back from a happy event. How come you didn't post your group photos? Shy again?
    There was really so much food served but you hardly ate them because it wasn't as good as your high standard of cooking and baking???
    My school mates hold our reunions too often like several times a year! No kidding that those bunch of monkeys never have enough of each other.

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    1. Hi TM! I did not give notice and thought I could update my blog in KT. But mana tau the internet connection was super slow, so I gave up.

      Not posting group photo because my friends may not want their face published here hee..hee... I could hardly eat because I was quite full from lunch and also due to excitement at meeting my old friends. I hope that there will be another reunion in the near future.

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  7. Cauliflower soup? I've never heard of it.. I want the recipe.. Or you can boil this soup, then blog about it? Looks very hoiwai from the picture.. Hah, after lunch, you got ready for the event? Makan lagi ka? But all the food looks so good, I don't mind eating 2nd or 3rd rounds, hehehe..I super love the deep fried stuffs and nasi goreng.. The salad looks like tuna luncheon meat thingy.. Where's the group photo?

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    1. Louiz, the soup senang only. Just like any normal soup, just throw in the cauliflower. If I didn't eat lunch, I would have gone for a few rounds of the food. Can't show the group photo lah as my friends may not want their face published here hee..hee..

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  8. Welcome back, PH! So, you went back to your hometown for a week (and the reunion), that's why the long silence. I was wondering why you said some fried stuff, I think this is chicken, some sort of salad...hee..hee! Then, I realised you didn't have any...otherwise it's unlike our fabulous cook and baker to not know about food...kekeke! :D Going for reunions...not quite my cup of tea!

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    1. Hi Kris! I was still full from lunch or else, knowing me, I would have gone a few rounds with the food hah..hah... It was fun and I'm glad I went :)

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  9. Hey Phong Hong ! Welcome back !
    I was wondering what had happened to you ....
    I reckoned that mom's home-cooked food is always the best ... So you must have enjoyed your hometown visit, spending time with parents and also the fabulous reunion with school mates.
    And this is only Day 1 of your sharing ... so more to come ya ^-^!

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    1. Hi Karen! Yes, I had a wonderful time with my parents. My mum cooked only on the first day and I had already told her to take it easy, no need to sweat in the kitchen. Yes, will be sharing more on the food I ate hah..hah...

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  10. sayur kolok???? how could you?? how could you??? more importantly, got petail and setoi in there or not??

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    1. hee..hee... not only got petai and setoi, jambu golok pun ada!

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  11. How nice you are there to savour the terengganu delicacies !!

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    1. Yup, I ate so much and put on weight. Haiz!

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  12. Aiyo! I thought you fainted and was hospitalized due to dieting! Thank goodness nothing of that sort happened! XD

    Susah lah, the lunch your mom cook for you one, how to skip?

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    1. hah..hah...very farnee! True, true, cannot skip lunch prepared by mum :)

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  13. Wow, how fun to go back to your hometown for a primary school reunion. The food looks really good, too bad that you are too full to eat them. Can't wait to read more of your food adventures in KT.

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    1. It was loads of fun at the reunion and also time spent with my parents. Can't wait to go back again :)

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  14. oh, i thought PH has been MIA and i think if you did not appear again for another day, many bloggers will go to make police report, hahahaha!! finally, we see you back.. so you went back to your hometown and totally cut yourself off from the blogging scene.. that's good!!! give all your time to your family back home.. :)

    oooh, class of 1978.. i was 1 year old then, and now we all know how young PH is already, but i guess you didn't mind telling your age also.. also not important lah, what impressed me is that, you all are still meeting up albeit being apart for 37 years!! OMG, that's many years and i can understand your situation where you always coward out just before the event, haha..

    nice being able to see your old friends, and i guess there are many whom you have not been seeing them since the day you all bid farewell 37 years ago huh?? now let me guess, must the FB that make you all re-connected and finally agreed to organize a gathering.. hmm, i think 3 years later, it would be even more meaningful huh, since it will be the 40th year you have left primary school.. that must be a big event to look forward to.. :)

    aiyoh, i was actually expecting to see some people in this post, but all are food nia!! OMG, you ate so much for lunch that you didn't eat much that night?? errr, the food not nice or you had no time eating since you were chatting with your lost-and-found friends?? you know lah, for your stomach capacity, i am not convinced that you cannot makan again after a heavy lunch woh, hehehehe..

    okay back to the food.. so i guess you had catering service huh?? so many varieties of food, and i actually like those fried stuffs, muahahaha!! i think fried stuffs are popular since they are more flavorful huh?? oooh, the desserts also look very tempting to me.. but you ah, only ate so little, i think if i were there, i will be busy excusing myself to go for rounds of rounds of food~~ :D

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    1. hee..hee..hee... I wanted to put up an announcement before I left but I was thinking why not I update my Terengganu adventures using my mum's PC. Mana tau the internet speed was super slow, so I could not do anything.

      OK, you are 10 years younger than me huh? It was great meeting up with my friends and we had a wonderful time. Though the event went on for 4 hours, we still felt time was too short.

      Sorry lah, can't show photos of my friends as they may not want their faces to be published here hee..hee... I also don't want to show my auntie face lah!

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