A gecko encounter

My wife is terrified of geckos, which belong to the lizard family. We had a gecko in our kitchen recently and we had a lot of trouble trying to get it out the house. Here is our struggle in pictures:

Look at the remarkable suction power of its feet!

I scooped up the gecko with a cornflakes box but it tried to escape...

So I carefully moved the cornflakes box outside to the balcony...

Then the gecko gladly posed for a beautiful picture!

With some gentle persuasion, the gecko crawled over the edge of the balcony

The gecko attempted to crawl back up the wall...

But it fell off.

Well,

I sprayed water on it and it fell!

The gecko was remarkably fine and soon crawled off somewhere!

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Kuantan Curry House

The Kuantan Curry House is located in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan, right beneath our apartment, just off Jalan Dato' Lim Hoe Lek. It is directly opposite KCDC Hospital, situated on Lorong Sekilau 22.

When my then-fiancee told me we would be living in an apartment above a curry house, I was thrilled!

I remember walking into the Kuantan Curry House in 2006 when we first moved to Kuantan, and asking for roti canai. That was the start of a 5+ years friendship with the lovely family who own the restaurant.


A common dish at Kuantan Curry House is the banana leaf meals. For those of you who have never heard of 'banana leaf meals' it's basically rice and curry with some meat/fish and vegetables all on a banana tree leaf. One can eat with a fork and spoon or go the old traditional way and use your hands!

The Kuantan Curry House speciality dish is fried fish, flavoured with an age-old secret recipe which keeps customers coming back for more!

My personal favourite is the gorgeous fried vegetables made by Mr. Samindan :)

Here we can see the famous fried fish on the top shelf

The Private Function Room

Mr. Samindan, the owner, is seated on the right. Sitting beside him is his oldest son, Magen. Standing at left is his second son, Thina.

As of 5th December, 2012, Kuantan Curry House has opened a new vegetarian section, serving delicious vegetarian food daily.

Puraini, wife of Mr. Samindan graciously gave my family and I a free sample of the vegetarian food on 5th December. Here she is serving the food:

I enjoyed tucking in to the food. Some of it was a little spicy, a lot of it was just fine, it was a nice blend, all on a banana leaf:

It doesn't matter whether you're Indian, Chinese or Malay, (or a foreigner like me!), you've got to try this delectable food!

Blog Flashbacks

Welcome to the weekend, and with it, a look back in time in my Blog Flashbacks post.

A year ago to the day, Fidelia put the Christmas tree up, just as she did a few days back this year. I also shared this dramatic sunset as viewed from our balcony:

See some more photographs here:

Pictures from my old Panasonic Lumix camera

Back in November of 2009 I was delving into the musical world. Luciano Pavarotti had passed on a couple of years earlier but his awe-inspiring performance of "Nessun Dorma" still lives on and always will. If you are not aware of this great song and Luciano Pavarotti's performance of it, click here:

Nessun Dorma by Luciano Pavarotti

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Fidelia's Friday - Our Christmas tree is up!

It's our own family tradition to put our Christmas tree up on the first week of November. 

I am always excited when it comes to putting the tree up. Since Lauren is a lot older now, she helped me with the decorations. Thank you my dear Lauren for your lovely help!

Lauren can't wait for Christmas Day because she has all the things she wants for Christmas written down, starting from the beginning of this year. We will try our best to get all the things with one condition. She has to be a good girl!

Here are some photos taken by Duncan. Enjoy!

I was thinking to buy a big tree this year but I realise Leah is going to crawl soon and I don't think she will be able to keep herself away from the tree. A small tree will do. Easier to decorate!

On Christmas Day, we normally have roast chicken and potatoes. We can't  wait to have that again!

How do your celebrate your Christmas? Please share with us. Who knows we can also do the same thing if it sounds fun!

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Pahang State Mosque, Kuantan

The Pahang State Mosque in Kuantan is the centrepiece of Kuantan town.

Located in the heart of the town beside the post office and opposite Kuantan old town, it is the Islamic centre of worship in Kuantan.

Many years ago I visited the Pahang State Mosque, hoping to be able to go inside. Not only did I mange to go inside, but I had a guide who showed me around, and he allowed me to take pictures too. He didn't speak any English though, so I attempted to ask him questions using my shaky Bahasa Melayu. Overall it was unsuccessful!

The beautiful minarets at the Pahang State Mosque, Kuantan

Entrance to the Pahang State Mosque, Kuantan

My guide took me up one of these minarets, a very tight spiral staircase, but the view from the top was beautiful.

Spectacular view of the marvellous domes of the Pahang State Mosque, Kuantan, as the storm clouds began gathering. This was taken from midway up a minaret.

Being inside the Pahang State Mosque is a beautiful experience. It is quiet and peaceful, but above all, the artwork and design of this lovely edifice is inspiring.

Beautiful stained-glass window

Prayer hall in Pahang State Mosque, Kuantan

I can clearly see seven distinct 'levels' in the structure of the Pahang State Mosque, including the small domes, large dome and minarets. I wonder if this has any symbolic significance to Muslims?

The mosque is a beautiful sight!

And here it is in all its beauty at night! 

Incidentally this image was my favourite of the year 2010. See my top ten favourite pictures of 2010 here

KUANTAN BLOG TOUR: Join me at Taman Gelora next . . .