Ten Past Presidents Present

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From Left: President Ben Fong pose with the 10 past presidents - PP Tan Lay Theng, PP Freddie Yap, PP Lim Kien Chai @ KC Lim, PP James Arokiasamy, PP Katherine Mah, PP Khoo Nee Wern, PP Tony Lim, PP Teresa Choong, PP Kim Chow and PP TL Wuan.

On 20 April 2010, Friendship Toastmasters Club of Kuala Lumpur held its regular meeting. But, it's no ordinary meeting.

Past President Katherine Mah of DHL Regional Office in Singapore was in Kuala Lumpur and decided to visit the club after a long absence.

Past President James Arokiasamy, CEO of a pathology company, took the initiative to ring up the other past presidents and urge them to turn up at the meeting.

Past President Freddie Yap of P&O Insurance followed up by ringing the past presidents to reconfirm their attendance.

Personally, I wasn't sure if many past presidents could present themselves at the meeting. There were too many obstacles for a whole bunch of past presidents to meet at the same place at the same time. Some have to travel, some have to burn the corporate midnight oil, some have moved to faraway offices, etc, etc, etc.

On 20 April 2010, we counted the past presidents in the club. Incredibly, 10 out of 11 past presidents were there! They have decided to put their work aside and meet for old times' sake.

It was a glorious night! Heartwarming occasions do happen unexpectedly.

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Seremban Cendol - A trip down memory lane

Click to enlarge

The famous Seremban Cendol has evolved from a pushcart to a big shop. It now serves several cendol recipes such as cendol pulut, cendol kacang, cendol jagung, cendol campur and cendol bandung. My favourite is cendol pulut.

The cendol station inside the shop. The people who work at this station are always in the thick of action. Besides serving the shop patrons, they also have to handle an avalanche of takeaway orders.

Once upon a time, the cendol pushcart was parked at this spot in the serene Seremban Lake Gardens opposite the bustling A&W outlet. Some people said that the delicious cendol could give the popular A&W root beer a run for its money.

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At first I couldn't recognize this spot. It looked different with the Telecoms building on the left. You see, the building wasn't there before.



Haji Shariff's Cendol & Catering Sdn Bhd now operates from a big and airy shop painted in green - the colour of the cendol. It's crowded during lunch hour because it offers its patrons something that goes with the cendol - delicious rojak.


The extended area on the left increases the seating capacity. The rojak station is found here.
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Haji Shariff's Cendol & Catering Sdn Bhd
No. 44 Jalan Yam Tuan
Seremban
Negri Sembilan

Kampar Chicken Biscuits - A trip down memory lane

CB Red Label Sdn Bhd

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The famous Kampar Chicken Biscuits has a long history. The biscuits even have a catchphrase "A taste of its own". After the PLUS highway was built, Kampar became a town off the beaten track. However, the Kampar chicken biscuits remain as famous as ever.

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After so many years, I couldn't find the shop. A friend had to be my navigator and we didn't leave the shop until we have shopped. The company, CB Red Label, has an advertising slogan "A Confectioner's Collection". So, we almost bought the whole collection.

The CB brand

The CB Brand has been awarded halal status. Its chicken biscuits come in 3 varieties:

• Crunchy Chicken Biscuits
• Light & Crispy Chicken Biscuits
• Soft Chicken Biscuits

The shop also sells other delicacies such as Kaya Puff and Dragon Ball Biscuits.

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CB Red Label Sdn Bhd

72 Jalan Gopeng, Kampar, Perak

Tel: 05-4651748

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Jalan Pasar - A trip down memory lane

It's the Aidiladha holidays.

I decided to visit a part of Kuala Lumpur that I haven't been for donkey's years - Jalan Pasar. It's a predominantly Chinese area with a Chinese temple, a bustling wet market and a myriad of Chinese eateries.

I wanted to visit an old shop that sells haberdashery - things used for making clothes. It's situated in a cluster of very old shops. I lost my way and had to circle the area a few times. Eventually, I found it on foot.

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When I spotted it, a wondrous and incredulous feeling stirred in me. The shop looks the same despite the passage of time. The same old furniture. The same old cabinets. The same old layout.

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The wall cabinets contain endless rows of haberdashery - buttons, lace, ribbons, threads, wool etc of every conceivable colour, shape and size. You're spoilt for choice. Amazingly, the prices are as low as ever. And, the customer service is as impeccable as ever.

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I was attended to with great traditional courtesy. I was surprised to hear the owners speaking English to their customers. Years ago, they spoke only Chinese, their mother tongue. Now, they also speak Malay to their workers. So, I ended up speaking Chinese, English and Malay.

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It's a worthy trip down memory lane.

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If you want to buy haberdashery at great low prices and get treated like a VIP, you may want to give it a shot at this shop:

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HUP LEE

No. 45 Jalan Pasar Bahru

Pudu

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603-9221 9221