Ms Loo Chinese Restaurant at Taman Setia Indah, Johor Bahru

Ms Loo Chinese Restaurant (N1 34.373 E103 46.008) is located at Jalan Setia 9/17, Taman Setia Indah, Johor Bahru.

Ms Loo Restaurant

We had visiting this restaurant for dinner few time ago. My main purpose here is to taste the One & Only "Camphor Tea Duck" around Johor Bahru area. There other restaurant which also has this dish is at Pulai Spring Golf Resort.

This time I decided to snap some photos to share about it...

The indoor environment

Some customers like to sit at the outdoor area which is along the street, but we prefer the indoor area...the environment was just like normal restaurant at Johor Bahru area.

Our order for the night :-
1) Curry Fish Head
2) Hakka Yong Tau Foo
3) Vegetable cook with chili
4) Camphor Tea Duck (Signature Dish)

Curry Fish Head serve in aluminium foil to preserve the heat

Hakka Yong Tau Foo

Vegetable

Camphor Tea Duck

Curry Fish Head
The curry was thick and delicious! Nice taste.

Hakka Yong Tau Foo
Special and good. I think this was the first time I started to Love the Hakka Yong Tau Foo.

Vegatable
Above average.

Camphor Tea Duck
This duck was marvelous! And also our purpose here! The special recipe was really tasty and the duck was gentle enough!

The Damage :-
Total of MYR78.00 for 6 adults and one kid (Included drink). Very reasonable! Right?
The Camphor Tea Duck only serve in 2 sizes : MYR19.00 for small and MYR38.00 for big.

Food rated : 4.5/5
Camphor Tea Duck : 4.9/5

If you haven't taste the duck before, I suggest you give a try! You will like it. :)

Ms Loo Chinese Restaurant
 

The Restaurant is closed.

Location map of Ms Loo Chinese Restaurant

View Larger Map

MY TRIPS - Home

My article on Holocaust acknowledgment, memory and commemoration

 Monument at Belzec Death Camp, Poland. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

Here's a link to my JTA article on Holocaust recognition, acknowledgment and commemoration in post-communist Europe.

By Ruth Ellen Gruber, October 28, 2009

ROME (JTA) -- A row of empty shoes where Jews were shot dead on the bank of the Danube River in Budapest. The image of a grand synagogue chiseled into stone at the place it once stood in Bratislava. A museum, a wall of names and a vast symbolic field of ashes at the site of the Belzec death camp in Poland. A giant menorah and the statue of a tortured figure at a corner in the Ukrainian city of Lviv.

These are just a few of the monuments to victims of the Holocaust that have been erected in Eastern Europe in the 20 years since the fall of communism opened the way to a dramatic, often painful and still ongoing confrontation with history in that region.

Under communism, Jewish suffering in the Holocaust generally was subsumed as part of overall suffering during World War II. Most Holocaust or World War II memorials in communist Europe -- even at death camps such as Auschwitz and Buchenwald -- honored generic "victims of Nazism" or "victims of Fascism."

But over the past two decades numerous new memorials have been built, countless plaques have been affixed, educational programs have been instituted, Holocaust museums have been established, and a number of countries have adopted an annual Holocaust Remembrance Day to serve as a focal point for study and commemoration.

"Education is a slow process, and changing inherited and accepted concepts and beliefs is a difficult task in any context," said Samuel Gruber, president of the International Survey of Jewish Monuments. "In this light, I think we can look at amazing progress over the past two decades."
But the process has been far from smooth, and far from complete, and it varies widely from country to country and locale to locale.

"The way that the Holocaust is remembered is a good indication of the health of a nation," said Warren Miller, chairman of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, which has sponsored a number of Holocaust memorial projects.
"When the Holocaust is denied, freedom is under assault," he said. "Where the Holocaust and its victims are remembered, freedom is secure."

Some states, particularly those that were themselves victims of the Nazis, have taken many measures to confront their history and recognize local culpability in the deportation and murder of Jews.
In Poland, for example, the memorials and museums at Holocaust sites such as Auschwitz and Belzec have been revamped to provide both factual information and context. New memorial plaques have been put up throughout the country, and numerous public and private education projects on the Holocaust and Jewish history have cropped up.

"But when the subject focuses on questions about the Polish role as collaborators with the Nazis or merely Polish self-expressions of anti-Semitism, it is still quite controversial," said Rabbi Andrew Baker, the American Jewish Committee's director of international Jewish affairs.
In some countries, nationalism, local pride and complex political and other legacies have put up obstacles to an honest evaluation.

"Progress is relative," Gruber said. "These are still fledgling democracies. Some countries are much further along the path to historical accountability and sincere commemoration than others, but many have had further to go."

In countries such as Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, which were allied with the Nazis, honest evaluation of the past means acceptance of direct local participation in the Holocaust.

Education is vital, said Maros Borsky, director of the Slovak Jewish Heritage Center. "The evil that happened in society will not be healed, but the next generation must learn about it," Borsky said.

In the countries that once formed part of the Soviet Union, the problems are compounded by other issues. In the Baltic countries in particular, nationalists long have regarded the Nazis as the lesser of two wartime evils -- "liberators" against the Russians who occupied their countries.

In 2002, for example, Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga had to intervene directly to ensure that the inscription on a monument to 25,000 Jews killed in the Rumbula Forest near Riga included mention of Latvian collaborators as well as Nazis among the perpetrators.

"She said this is a place of national shame," Miller said. "It was a huge step forward and an example for other European leaders to follow."

In Ukraine, nationalist aspirations after decades of Russian domination have eclipsed the memory of Jewish suffering, particularly in western Ukraine, which before World War II was part of Poland and had a complex multiethnic profile.

"Generally speaking, Jewish issues, including the Holocaust, are still not seen as part of one's own history," said Tarik Cyril Amar, academic director of the Center for Urban History of East Central Europe in Lviv.

The high-profile dedication Oct. 8 of a national Holocaust memorial in the Romanian capital Bucharest illustrated many of these points.

Under Marshal Ion Antonescu, Romania was an ally of Nazi Germany, and deportations of Jews ordered by Antonescu resulted in the deaths of some 280,000 Jews. Even after the fall of communism, this fact was largely ignored or minimized, and Antonescu is often viewed as a hero by Romanian nationalists.

"Six years ago there was no difficulty in getting Romanian leaders to acknowledge that there was a Holocaust in their country, but they only understood this as what Hungarians did to Jews in Romanian territory under their control," Baker said.

Construction of the monument and marking Oct. 9 as Holocaust Commemoration Day were mandated by an international commission on the Holocaust in Romania, headed by Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, which released a 400-page report in 2004 as Romania was preparing to enter the European Union.

Political dignitaries, Holocaust survivors and religious leaders from Europe, Israel and the United States attended the ceremony, and Romanian President Traian Basescu spoke.

The Romanian state and Romanian society, Basescu declared, "reaffirm their decision to assume the blame for the past and to uncover the historic memory in the spirit of truth."

The memorial, said Baker, who attended the ceremony and is a member of the Holocaust Commission, can be seen "as a culmination of the process of getting Romanians to confront their own Holocaust history."

Nonetheless, he added, "It was still ironic that while President Basescu spoke very clearly in his dedication remarks about the role of Antonescu in the Holocaust, he told me later that same day that he believes over 50 percent of the Romanian population still views Antonescu positively."

"So much has been done,” Baker said, “but there is still much to do."

Read full article at JTA.org

I was unable in an 800-word story to incorporate all the material I obtained in interviews for the piece.

But -- Sam Gruber has now posted on his blog his full responses to my questions. We have discussed these issues many times over the years, and in some ways, his responses mirror a lot of my thinking (but expressed much more eloquently!). We come to the topic from different directions, too.

You can read the full text of the interview by clicking HERE.

Thamara Cafe at Taman Bukit Indah - Skudai, Johor.

The Local Indian Western Cuisine - Thamara Cafe. (N1 28.781 E103 39.839)
It's located at Taman Bukit Indah of Skudai, Johor (next to Taman Nusa Bestari). Just opposite the Tesco Hypermart between the single storey shop lots. You can refer from the map below...

Thamara Cafe in Taman Bukit Indah

This cafe is selling popular western cuisine (all day) and also Indian food (during lunch time).
Me and my family visited this cafe one of the evening for dinner, and we had ordered :-

1) Seafood Fried Rice
2) Black Pepper Chicken Chop
3) Lamb Chop
4) Tomyam Soup

Seafood Fried Rice

Black Pepper Chicken Chop with mash Potato

Black Pepper Chicken Chop with french fries

Lamb Chop

Tomyam Soup

The foods was Superb!

The Damages :-
1) Seafood Fried Rice - MYR4.00 each, we had it double.
2) Black Pepper Chicken Chop - MYR9.00
3) Lamb Chop - MYR14.00
4) Tomyam Soup - MYR5.00
Total was MYR39.00 included drinks (for 4 adults and 1 kid). The price was reasonable!

The Seafood Fried Rice was just nice. Rated : 4/5The Chicken Chop was Delicious and Succulent! And it served in quite big portion. Rated : 4.9/5
The Lamb Chop was Marvelous! It's not too dry and well marinated! Rated : 4.9/5

We were satisfied with the foods here!

I had a chat with the Chef - Mr E S Mani (one of the partner), he was actually a Chef in one of the restaurant at Singapore sometimes ago, and now...he would like to serve the similar quality food from S'pore in Johor Bahru. Anyway, I'm convinced!

The clean environment of the Cafe

Mr Kumar (the boss) will take care the cafe, and preparing the drinks for customer. He made a very good Mango Lassi!
"In various parts of Pakistan/India, mango lassi is a cold drink consisting of sweetened kesar mango pulp mixed with yoghurt, cream, or ice cream. It is served in a tall glass with a straw, often with ground pistachio nuts sprinkled on top. Mango lassi is most commonly found in Pakistan/India. It is widely available in UK, Malaysia and Singapore, due to the sizable Pakistani/Indian minority, and in many other parts of the world." Source from Wiki.

I missed the Lassi but ordered a Teh Tarik and it's equally good!

I did recommend to some of my friends to dine in this cafe, one of them was also a owner of a Thai Restaurant before, he commented the Lamb Chop was Perfect!
Other friends also gave their Thumb UP after tasted the foods.
Do give it a try if you happen in this area, I believe you won't regret! :)
Hurry! Their special price gonna end soon!

Others dishes from Thamara Cafe :-

Lamb Chop with Blue Cheese Spaghetti

Red Snapper with Home Recipe Sauce and Mash Potato mixed with garlic.

Chicken Chop with Mushroom Sauce

Salmon Fish with Citrus Sauce

Fillet of Lamb Loin grilled medium served with lamb gravy with a side of beetroot and brie cheese salad, mashed potatoes and drizzled with balsamic glaze (Weekly Special)
(Pre-order is needed)

Grilled New Zealand prime Striploin with beef jus served with mesclun salad & mashed potato

Blue Cheese Spaghetti

Spicy Masala Sotong (Squid) with rice

Related post :
*  Series of Steaks from Thamara Cafe, Taman Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru

Thamara Cafe
14, Jalan Indah 16/7,
Taman Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru.
Tel : +6012-7373103 / +6016-7171343

THE CAFE IS CLOSED SINCE FEBRUARY 2012, SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE!

Location map of Thamara Cafe


View Larger Map

MY TRIPS - Home

Poland -- Heritage Seminar coming up

 Zamosc synagogue, 2006. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Hertiage in Poland (FODZ) reports that on November 6th, a Polish-French seminar on cultural heritage and local development will take place at the French Embassy in Warsaw. The encounter is organized by the  Embassy  and the Association of Historical Cities in France. Europea

The aim of the meeting is the exchange of experiences between French and Polish institutions in the field of best practices for protecting the cultural heritage and the importance of benefiting from it.

A representative of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland and representatives of town participating in the Chassidic Route project will also take part in the seminar. 

A FODZ statement (on Facebook...) adds:

The European Union is also a chance for better cooperation in the field of preserving and exposing our multicultural experiences from the past. The French are especially interested in the Sephardic motive of Zamosc, since some French towns also had post-inquisition immigrant Jewish communities. Is this a step leading to broader [cooperation] for European preservation of material traces of Jewish history?

Poland -- TV report on degradation in a Warsaw Jewish cemetery

Polish TV runs a report about the neglect of the Warsaw's Brodno Jewish cemetery, in the Praga district.

Click HERE to see and read it (in Polish).

Ukraine -- A New Plan to Restore All Jewish Cemeteries?

Jewish cemetery, Busk, Ukraine, 2006. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

I'm posting this little article from the Federation of Jewish Communities in the CIS, stating that the Chabad-linked Jewish community in Zhitomir, Ukraine, headed by the very energetic Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm, has "begun a massive project to restore and preserve approximately 1,500 Jewish cemeteries scattered throughout Ukraine." According to the article, an office for this project opened this past week. But it doesn't look to me, from what is reported, that there is real funding.

It says that a "detailed inventory" of all Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine will be prepared "with information as to the degree of neglect, damage and defacement."

Jewish cemetery, Brody, Ukraine, 2006. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

It is not clear to me if this initiative has any connection with the cemetery inventory that the Lo-Tishkach organzation is carrying out in Ukraine. This is what Lo-Tishkach describes as "a three-year FSU educational project to catalogue all of the Jewish cemeteries and mass graves in Ukraine and the Baltic states." It says that surveys of 216 Jewish burial grounds have now been performed in eight of the Ukraine’s 25 regions, and that data from these surveys in now being processed.

Participants, who are drawn from local youth groups and universities, carried out comprehensive surveys at each location, illustrated by detailed photographs, and gathered vital information on the areas’ Jewish life, history and culture. The data collected from these surveys is currently being updated to the Lo Tishkach Database (see the list of recently updated records on the homepage) and will shortly be presented in a series of publications providing an up-to-date record on the situation of Jewish burial grounds in Ukraine. 

Many sites urgently in need of care were identified during the surveys, details of which are available here. Contact us at info@lo-tishkach.org to find out how to help save these sites.

Co-ordinated by the Lo Tishkach Foundation and supported by the Genesis Philanthropy Group, the project seeks to practically engage young Ukrainians with their culture and history, encourage reflection on the lessons of the Holocaust, develop values of volunteerism and civic responsibility and collect valuable information for the Foundation’s database.

The Zhitomir-project says that funding has come from the "well-known 'Chevra Kadisha' organization." But there is no indication of methodology.

The funding for this ambitious project is coming from the well-known "Chevra Kadisha’ organization. Many of the Jewish cemeteries that will be part of this project are located in towns and villages where there is no longer a local Jewish population or where there are very few Jewish residents. These cemeteries contain Jewish graves that are currently in a terribly neglected state and are often subjected to attacks by local vandals.

The office from which this project will be managed opened this past week. In the first phase of the project, a detailed inventory of all Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine will be prepared, with information as to the degree of neglect, damage and defacement. The staff will attempt to compile lists of famous individuals who are buried in these respective cemeteries.

The second phase of the project involves putting the cemeteries back in order and organizing their regular maintenance.

The initiators of this project are hopeful that the World Zionist Organization will provide financial backing and organizational assistance in implementing this project. According respect and honor to the deceased is an important part of Jewish tradition.

Read article at the web site

It is important to recall how vast, complex and difficult an operation it will be to again survey the Jewish cemeteries in Ukraine. A survey was carried out -- to determine threats and status, and also to identify the sites -- in the 1990s, overseen by the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. It was published in 2005 and can be downloaded by clicking RIGHT HERE. Dozens of people were involved, and the Commission's list and report remains the most inclusive to date.

Jewish cemetery, Sadhora, Ukraine, 2006. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

Iskandar Waterfall at Cameron Highlands (September 2009)

We passed by this Iskandar Waterfall (Lata Iskandar in Malay) (N4 19.483 E101 19.477) while leaving Cameron Highlands on our Day 3. I just wanna find out are there any different from my last visit on 2003.

The park was clean and there was nice walkway from the main road towards the waterfall.

I was intend to climb up to the upper fall, but unfortunately, our time was not allow...too bad :(

The water was clear as usual...you can view it from the pictures below...

The Main Fall

The Upper Fall

The Crystal clear water...

The staircase to climb up to the upper fall...

Stairway to heaven...

Opposite the fall, there are few souvenir shop and the wash room also located between the shops. The wash room was well maintain and clean! You have to pay MYR0.20 for using it.

The souvenir shop opposite of the fall

The stream after the bridge of the main road, clear water...

I will plan to stay more longer on my next visit, at least...I wanna climb to the upper fall! :)


View Larger Map

My Cameron Highlands Trip - 2003
* Cameron Highland in 2003, Pahang

My Cameron Highlands Trip - September 2009
* Rosa Passadena Hotel at Brinchang, Cameron Highlands (D1)

MY TRIPS - Home

Poland -- Article on Jewish Cemetery in Lodz

 Poznanski tomb, Lodz, under restoration in 2006. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

There's a nice article (by DPA) on the large Jewish Cemetery in Lodz -- though it incorrectly states that the cemetery is the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe. The much older Jewish cemetery in Warsaw and, certainly Budapest's vast Kozma utca Jewish cemetery, have more burials and also more varied styles of tombstones and mauslea. The Jewish Cemetery in Lodz does have a very informative web site with a map and pictures and links to an expanding data base that so far includes the names of 90,000 people buried in the cemetery.

 Map of the cemetery, Lodz. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

Tombstone showing traces of painting. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

Here's part of the DPA story:

Lodz, Poland - Lodz' Jewish cemetery is an impressive sight, with its long avenues, old trees, mausoleums that look like ancient temples and thousands of headstones. Some are badly weathered and it is impossible to read the inscriptions on many. Graves are covered in ivy and most of them date back to before the Second World War.[...]

The Jewish cemetery has some stunning examples of opulent graves built by a middle class who were prepared to spend almost as much money on mausoleums as they did on houses for the living.

In his day, Izrael Poznanski, for example, was the most well known Jewish factory owner in the city and accrued a fortune from textile manufacturing. He lies buried with his wife Leonia in a mausoleum that cost a fortune to build.[...]

There are many other fine examples of ostentatious graves in the cemetery. The tomb of the Prussak family is a domed roof supported by four columns with four steps. Many of the tombs were built in the art nouveau style, such as that for the Rapppaport family.

The parents of the classical pianist Artur Rubinstein are also buried in the cemetery. Their comparatively simple gravestone survived the war along with thousands of other ordinary headstones. The headstones are usually made of sandstone or limestone and are often decorated with a Star of David or a hand in blessing. The image of a book indicates the headstone marks the grave of a learned person.

Read full article here

Lodz Jewish Cemetery. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

Poland -- Good News (Maybe) about Przysucha synagogue

 Synagogue in Przysucha, 2006. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

The Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODZ) reports that progress seems to be being made regarding the restoration and preservation of the imposing, 18th century synagogue building the Przysucha. The FODZ web site reports that a meeting will be held tomorrow about the synagogue's fate.

On October 26th, 2009 in Przysucha representatives of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland will meet with representatives of the local NGO’s: Oskar Kolberg Cultural Society and Music Education Society as well as the Oskar Kolberg Museum in Przysucha. The meeting will be dedicated to the concept of the historical synagogue’s development.

Przysucha was a major center of Hasidism in Poland -- Martin Buber mentione d seven Tzaddikim from the town. It was the seat of the influential Hasidic masters Abraham of Przysucha (d. 1806) and Jacob Yitzhak ben Asher (1766-1813), known in lore simply as the Holy Jew of Przysucha, who is credited with being the first propagator of Hasidism in Central Poland.  Jacob Yitzhak's disciple Simcha Bunem (1784-1827) also lived here. Their tombs in the Jewish cemetery, which is near the synagogue, are places of pilgrimage.

Przysucha was founded in 1910 as a settlement of German ironworkers. Jews lived here from the beginning, and by 1921 made up two-thirds of the population of 3,200.

The synagogue is one of the largest of Poland's surviving synagogues. It was heavily damaged in World War II when the Germans used it as a warehouse.  It conserves traces of structural and decorative detail, including the central bimah, the women's gallery, a few faded frescoes and much of the Aron ha Kodesh, with stucco work above it. Attached to the outside wall is a rare example of a kune, or pillory, where Jews sentenced by the Jewish community court would be locked in punishment.

The Kune. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber.

FODZ, which took possession of the badly deteriorated building two years ago, has a web page dedicated to the synagogue and efforts to revitalize it. On the page you can see architectural drawings and other material.

In 2008, we carried out essential protective renovations, but the building still needs urgent repairs. The roof is in a very bad condition and the interior is rapidly deteriorating due to excess moisture. Currently we are working on the construction and conservation documentation. Once it is completed, we will be able to apply for funding necessary to start the restoration and adaptation works.

The synagogue in Przysucha (yid. Parshishe vel Przishe) was built between 1774 and 1777. With an area of nearly 600m², it is a massive limestone building towering over a small town (current population: 6800). The main prayer chamber is rectangular, with a vaulted ceiling descending in the middle towards a four-piered structure formerly framing the bima (reader’s podium). The aron ha-kodesh, framed by a portal topped with stucco griffins, has also been preserved. Some polychromies remain on the walls.

  Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber, 2006

Hillview Inn at Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands

Hillview Inn (N4°28.111' E101°22.516') is located at the Tanah Rata town of Cameron Highlands. This New budget hotel was just opened!

Hillview Inn of Cameron Highlands

I was attract by this nice looking hotel while pass by Tanah Rata town. So we decided have a look of the hotel. The reception guy was really friendly to provide the room rates information and even bring us along to view the room! I'm impressed!

We had to take our shoes to go to the first floor, hmm...more hygiene?! Then he asked one of the boy to open the rooms door one by one...

The standard room for 2 persons, 2 single bed

The standard room for 2 persons, 1 queen bed

Family room for 4 persons, 1 King bed and 1 Queen bed

There is a small and comfort living hall for first and second floor. (Photo as below)

Living hall of every floor

Every room have their windows and balcony. The only different from others hotel is...there is no TV in the room, you can just go to the living hall to watch your favorite program if you want to...
It's a nice place to stay, especially it's clean! The hotel location is convenience because of the restaurants and shops just a few step away...
We might stay here in our next visit to Cameron Highlands...:)

Room rate :-
* Double room from MYR25.00
* Double room with bathroom attached from MYR35.00 to MYR80.00
* Triple & Family room from MYR45.00 to MYR120.00
* Special rates for long stay

The family room rate is MYR200.00 for weekend, MYR220.00 for public holiday.

Hillview Inn (Cameron Highlands)
17, Jalan Mentigi,
39000 Tanah Rata,
Cameron Highlands,
Pahang.
Tel : +605-4912915 Fax : +605-4915212

View Larger Map

MY TRIPS - Home