Laksa Kaw Langkawi

My family is finishing up our pre-departure tea after a long weekend break in Langkawi. This is the second time we are enjoying the excellent Kuay Teow and of course famous Laksa that is Padang Matsirat's answer to Kuah's Laksa Penarak.

I actually enjoy eating here for another reason. This restaurant nicely showcases the evolution and growth of a family business that has remained practical and unpretentious despite its obvious success (from the steady traffic of clientele and the fact the Manager of Tun Dr M's Loaf happily recommended it).

From the pics which I hope uploads properly, you can see the point where the humble beginnings of a Laksa based restaurant with about 5 wooden table blossomed into a concern with more than double its capacity... ok ok, not sure whether it is the wooden tables that came later, but you can also see where the roof was extended.

It takes little imagination to see how this restaurant grew as Langkawi did and whilst I wish them continued success, I hope they maintain the atmosphere as it is. With the quality of food that complements all that is wprld class about Langkawi.

Laksa Kaw is in Padang Matsirat, near Langkawi Airport and can be easily found on the main road of the town across the road from the primary school.

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Tuduhan Sabotaj Konvensyen Pakatan Rakyat Di Alor Star

Malam tadi, antara topik lucu yang diperbincangkan di kedai kopi sekitar Alor Star adalah Tweet YB Azmin Ali yg begitu berang menuduh sedikitnya kehadiran ke konvensyen Pakatan Rakyat kerana sabotaj UMNO!

Pakatan berharapkan stadium tertutup Alor Star Suka Menanti penuh ke kapasitinya yakni 2,000, memandangkan majlis Tun Dr M tahun lepas sampai melimpah kehadirannya keluar. Malah penganjur acara Tun telah merancang 'limpahan' kehadiran dengan teratur.

Malangnya, walaupun yang hadir ke konvensyen termasuk tokoh-tokoh Pakatan seperti DS Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang dan Hj Hadi Awang, namun ternyata mereka semua tidak semenarik Tun Dr M kerana yang hadir sekitar 500 orang sahaja!

Tapi, macam mana Azmin nak mengaku Tun Dr M lagi menarik dari 'tokoh-tokoh' Pakatan ni! Maka dengan tak semena-mena beliau menuduh UMNO sabotaj pula. Nak sabotaj camana? Apakah mungkin UMNO menghalang penyokong Pakatan dari hadir tambah pada hari cuti di negeri Kedah pimpinan PAS!?

Dulu bila Anwar terbukti salahguna kuasa hingga dipenjara, tuduh UMNO juga, takkanlah bila mahkamah terbukti bebas apabila melepaskan beliau dalam kes Saiful, Azmin dan yang sehaluan dengannya dah ketandusan modal?

Pada saya, lebih munasabah jika kita katakan kehadiran ke konvensyen kurang kerana:

1 - Malam tersebut malam sebelum hari keputeraan DYMM Yang Dipertuan Agong merangkap Sultan Kedah yang dikasihi. Tentulah ramai lagi sibuk dengan aktiviti serta persediaan meraikan hari tersebut.

2 - Malam tu, Kedah dok main bola sepak di Stadium Darul Aman. Yang mau ternyata melimpah ribuan manusia yang lebih minat bola dari konvensyen Pakatan.

3 - Mungkin orang PAS di Kedah meluat dan tak ingin melihat kepimpinan Pakatan dari Selangor yang telah menggasak hingga tokoh popular PAS Dr Hassan Ali dibuang dari parti... yang ni Azmin tak berani kut nak mengaku...

4 - Akibat Hari Keputeraan DYMM Tuanku, cuti panjanglah di Kedah. Mungkin orang Kedah merasakan ada cara lebih baik untuk menggunakan hari-hari cuti tersebut?

Ada baik YB Azmin Ali tarik nafas dan mencerminkan diri dahulu. Sebelum menuduh orang, ada baliknya Pakatan mengkaji apakah sebab sebenar kegagalan mereka dalam mengendalikan usaha ini, demi masa depan mereka.

Maaf lambat sikit berita ni, tengah sibuk di Motorcross MAYC Beruas sebentar tadi... tengok le gambar tu...

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MAYC Global Relief... And MAYC: The Next Stage

I have been asked over the last 3 months why I have been quiet in the social media space on MAYC of late. Reason was simply that things were developing in the right direction, and it did not seem right to blog it in this space for the sake of our achieving the aims of reviving MAYC. I believe this blog's silence for the time helped us achieve the recognition of the rightful chairmen of the state organisations, Alhamdulillah, as the first step towards the revival of MAYC as a whole.

The Minister has given strict instructions to Mustafa Mat Arof when approving his leadership of MAYC to ensure unity especially ensuring the enfranchisement of all MAYC clubs in an AGM that will select a new leadership by March 2012. Seeing as Mustafa and many of his gang have expired their age as Youths, my team and I are happy to sit back and see him prove his claims of being a 'rightful' president by him actually being 'presidential', proving us wrong and at the same stroke reviving democracy in this most democratic of youth organisations at one time.

In the meantime, I will be busy with MAYC Global Relief. We are planning for a second relief expedition to Japan's tsunami hit areas in April 2012. Ya ya, I heard also that elections 'may be' in April, but why should this affect our plans? If we listened to the many elections 'may be' rumours since PRU12, we'd be caked with dust from immobility waiting for PRU13 now. So April 2012 we aim to send another 40 youth volunteers out to Japan and you can have a look at this Facebook page to see the stuff volunteers can expect to get up to. Our volunteers are made of better stuff than the fake 'hero' Adam Adli I dare say!

Will I run for MAYC's Presidency? Not my choice mate! Ask the MAYC leaders at club, district and state levels. Its for them to figure out if I am worthy. If they haven't figured this one out, they should just google...

Welcome Revival Of The Pain In The Arse

I was stunned over the last 2 days at how so many people are happy with the acquital of DS Anwar Ibrahim. The happy guys I mean here are not the pro-Anwar or sympathetic to Anwar lot. No no no... many of us, myself included, who are rather pleased that Anwar is still free are actually very much against him and his rather self-centric disruption of harmony in our country. OK, there is the matter of the appeal which I understand should come since the case was prima facie, but lets set that aside for now...

The reasons for this happiness vary, but for the more politically inclined, there is now a feeling that BN has a better chance at winning the next election, even if not achieving a 2/3 majority, as long as the current political lines are maintained and IF DS Najib's Transformation program actually begins to hit high level corruption. Notice the big IF on corruption here... certainly Malaysians want clearer resolution of the NFC scandal as opposed to the partial-scapegoating that is perceived to have happened / is happening with PKFZ.

Clearer Political Lines

Certainly BN will benefit from the lack of impetus now for DS Anwar and his people to back a re-alignment of political alliances that was planned should he have been imprisoned. It was an open secret in political circles that Ku Li and his camp were being courted as Anwar's replacement as figurehead of Pakatan should the later be convicted. The Amanah platform had sought to re-unite the old 'Team B' of the Tun Dr M vs Ku Li era of 1987 vintage, minus Pak Lah of course due to his continued lack of popularity.

There was clear movement to build ties with a couple of bloggers, most notably ferociously pro-Ku Li Aspan Alias' entry into DAP, which has resulted in quite a bit of confusion considering his ultra-UMNO credentials from the last century.

Would Ku Li as Pakatan head lead to a stronger Pakatan threat against DS Najib-led UMNO and BN? One will never know. This blogger actually believes it becomes 50:50 if the worse elements of UMNO, many associated with the Pak Lah regime and slowly being ostracised by the Najib Transformation (like KJ!), actually joining Pakatan with Ku Li. However, it would have the downside of confusing the electorate like mad, hence a disharmoniuos scenario leading up to an election - always poor for the incumbent party!

Ironically, PERKASA under Datuk Ibrahim Ali, i.e. the ultra-Malay elements in civil society, may end up holding the deciding votes in such a scenario, not the minority race power brokers! Most unpleasant I am sure to many...

Anyway, I am happy, and happy to hear if you are too, with DS Anwar's acquital! So happy that I am blogging again! Hihihihihi....