MEETING OF MINDS

As a follow up to the first Bloggers Get-Together at Asam Pedas organised by Mat Salo, Pak Idrus picked me up to go to the lunch at Royal Bintang, The Curve. The usual suspects were there, minus a few absentees. Some of the absentees were at the Melawati Stadium, Shah Alam, so I have been told. Pity, I was looking forward to meeting the Ancient Mariner again.

Pak Idrus and I were among the early birds and we found Mat Salo and a few other bloggers already at their tables. Among them Elviza and Danny Ahmad Kerpovic seen here enjoying a pleasant conversation with a would-be-blogger (InsyaAllah) former judge Dato' Syed Ahmad Idid.

As usual, Pak Idrus held court with some first person history lessons. Pi Bani is on his right while Mat Salo seems to have caught my bad headache.

We took turns getting our food, heeding this sign which was on every table.

Somebody suggested that our Police Chief should be elected like in the US and promptly sacked when the crime rate soared. Some said that we were not ready for that although many would want to see elections at the Local Council level.

Pak Idrus migrated from table to table expounding his views and theories. Here he is having a discourse with Ali Hussin who came in a PAS jacket together with a couple of friends all the way from Ipoh. I did not hear what Pak Idrus said to them but when we were leaving, I saw that my namesake had changed into a Free RPK t-shirt which Anu skillfully charmed him to buy.

Sisters Nuraina and Maria arrived with daughters and nieces. Only Nuraina and Maria joined us. Daughters wisely headed off to the other parts of the Curve more suited to younger people. Nuraina stopped at every table and even impressed the judge. Much later, Dato Syed Ahmad Idid asked me who are the respected bloggers in Malaysia. I told him that Nuraina is one of them.
Another well-read blogger who made it to the event was Dato' A.Kadir Jasin. He could not stay long though and after a while had to bid his goodbyes and left escorted by Shah who wore his "Boycott The Mainstream Papers" yellow t-shirt.
Despite my throbbing headache, I enjoyed the lunch very much. The company was good, the food was delicious and the service pleasant. The "free flowing" buffet included roti jala, roti canai, murtabak, pasta, yong tau foo, bread pudding and other desserts plus teh tarik and kopi tarik. Bloggers that must have rice for lunch would be disappointed though. The place was a bit too warm for my headache and they could not make the ceiling fan, high up there, turn any faster.

The lunch stretched to High Tea because we waited to meet Cikgu Nazir of Kata Tak Nak fame who came all the way from Penang, family in tow, by bus. Pak Idrus and I reluctantly left when it was nearly 5 pm. I regret not having deeper conversations with Tok Asid, Raden Galoh and hubby, and also with Bangkai who is reputed to be among the best English writer in the group. I also missed the opportunity to get to know other bloggers whom I haven't had the privilege of knowing. Mea culpa.
Thank you all for a nice afternoon.
(Click pic to get a bigger view and to download it)

Labels: Bloggers meet, Royal Bintang