Goodbye my friend.. :)

Today marks the final day  at work for my friend Jayagandi Jayaraj. She has been with The Star for 10 years and the day has come for her to join her husband, Aloy in Qatar.

As a friend, I am happy that she is making a move to be beside her husband but at the same time, I realise that I will be missing someone really close to me. Life at Menara Star  would not be the same without her. There is just something about her that makes working fun there.

There is the endless laughter, since she has quite a funny side, complete with witty sarcasm (which i quite enjoy). She says things when you least expect it and it can be quite hilarious especially when she catches you off guard. Its amazing the way her mind works in a split second.

Then there is the passing fancies she has. Every couple of months, some wild idea or hobby creeps up on her. One month it could be beading, another hairbands, and now it is all about  plaits.. :) Yup. Jaya has been watching Youtube videos to create amazing braids for herself and everyone at the office. Her favourite muse is Choong Mek Zhin and once in awhile she would turn her attention on me or shall I say my hair. :)

Mek Zhin's attempt

Jaya's handiwork on my hair

Jaya's work on Fazleena's hair

But what I am going to miss most, is the sound of her voice, the way she calls my name out, Priya Menon, with a slight tug at the end. Having her around almost everyday since I started my journey in Menara Star early this year has been fun. I realised that talking to her, sharing information has been an insightful experience. She has a lot to share and she doesn't judge, two qualities a friend should have. While I am fortunate that all my colleagues in Star are the same, from the day I joined, I have had people like Bavani and Fazleena with me, but coming to Menara this year has brought new experiences as well, thanks to Jaya.

To Jayagandi Jayaraj, good luck with your new life in Qatar. Im looking forward to having fun with you  at the many farewell parties we have planned for you before you leave. Till we meet again on Facebook.

Famous Bak Kut Teh in Jalan Ipoh

Growing up in KL or shall I say Malaysia has given me the opportunity to relish some of the world's finest cuisine. Be it street food by the sidewalk or beautiful candle light gourmet meals, the options are aplenty and one of my favourites is the Bak Kut Teh, a local cuisine made by the Chinese community that can be found here and in Singapore.

This is our bowl of Bak Kut Teh after half the meal was over.
It looked awesome before we started but I was
too hungry to take the photos  first.. :)

So what is Bak Kut Teh? Since I am no expert  at the ingredients, ( I just love eating it) I sought the help of google. Well essentially, Bak Kut Teh roughly translates to Meat Bone Tea and it has pieces of pork meat and bones boiled in a broth with a lot of ingredients and herbs. When served, diners can opt to put in other stuff like vegetables and mushrooms.






Like every family we have our own special Bak Kut Teh shop and it is situated along Jalan Ipoh heading towards Chow Kit. It is the second shop from the left a few doors down from Ambank after the Damai Hospital ( I hope the description will help you find it). The Son In Bak Kut Teh shop is a small family run business and has been the talk of the town for years. Although there are two other Bak Kut Teh shops along the same row we feel that the soup and black sauce pork (i have no idea what the dish is called) is pretty delicious compared to the rest.

Sorry the photo is a little blur coz it was really dark and the signage was really bright.
To top it off I am not that great a photographer :p

As you walk in three brothers would be hard at work behind the stove and greeting guests. Although they take a little time to warm up to you, they treat you like old friends once they do. You can request for the vegetables, tauhu and mushrooms on the side or add it in the soup, the choice is yours and of course we cannot forget char kuey :). My siblings and mom prefer the black sauce pork dish but I am not a fan of that. However they swear by it so ya go ahead and try it out but let me say that this does not have dried chillies or anything in them so it may not be for everybody. Try a small bowl and order more if you like it. :)

Black sauce pork..

So if your in town and if you are looking for a little shop that serves tasty Bak Kut Teh do stop by.. :)