Black&White or Colour

Black-and-white images are often imbued with an elegance and timelessness that colour photography often can't match. Like these....

Classic and elegant ker?
Tapi rasanya, colour pix nih pun cantik apa. Fresh and full of colour. And puas hati tengok.

Jalan-jalan di Kota Raya

Went back to work last Thursday. Yes. On the third day of Raya, I was back at the office. Never before in my professional life have I done so. Only a handful of staff were at the office on that day - macam siot jer kena kerja. Rasa macam polis ler pulak tak leh cuti lama-lama. Kalau ada kerja tak pe jugak, ni....entahlah.
Anyway, today Saturday, cuti weekend. Those yang ambik cuti on Thursday kena kerja on Saturday. Apa raa.. Kami di rumah ni mulanya berkira-kira nak pergi beraya tetapi masih ramai yang belum balik dari kampung atau holiday. So we decided to pergi jalan-jalan di kota raya....



First stop is The Mall. Yes, The Mall. Why? Don't know. But we ate lunch at The Chicken Rice Shop. Arissa siap patah gigi lagi masa ni. Tak yah tunjuk ler gambar ya, not nice one.
Lepas makan, kami pergi berlegar-legar di sekitar The Mall. Bukan ada apa2 pun. Orang pun tak ramai. Turun naik escalator macam orang tak de haluan. Singgah kat bookshop and as usual Asma beli buku cerita. Lepas tu complain duit raya dia dah berkurang. Lepas tu, on the way out terjumpa doll shop. Arissa masa ni dah teruja dan tak nak balik. Bila mak dia tanya ada duit raya ker nak beli? Dia jawab:"Tak ada, tapi sesapa ada RM50 tak." Bila dah tengok anak dia muka sedih, Mak buat deal ngan Arissa that she can get the doll as a birthday gift jadi bila birthday dia November nanti tak yah bagi hadiah lagi ler. So everybody, meet Laura Jane Whitney.
Lepas The Mall, we drove merewang-rewang sehingga lah sampai ke Lake Garden. Yes, Lake Garden. Why? Don't know. Asma ingat ada lake boleh ler dia mandi manda macam tepi laut. Sampai kat sana, Yan decided to stay put in the car sebab tak sanggup menapak jauh-jauh. Gambar di atas menunjukkan betapa gumbiranya anak-anak ku dapat lepas bebas di padang yang luas di Lake Garden. Praq Senandung betul..
Ini Arissa sedang menunjukkan rasa tidak puas hati terhadap undang-undang yang terlampau banyak di Lake Garden. Sumer tak boleh. Sumer tak boleh.
Ini Asma sedang bergambar menjadi gadis ayu yang di hari raya pergi taman bunga dan tidak ke rumah sanak saudara sebagaimana sepatutnya.
Ini Alia sedang menunjukkan fountain yang ada di situ. Dia ingat orang tak pernah tengok fountain ker apa?
Pose untuk cover memana majalah. Kalau nak engage these gorgeous talents, do contact the manager. Masa ni Asma baru lepas terjatuh dan sedang menahan sakit. Tak nampak pun macam lutut dia cedera kan? Very the professional.

Raya Ini - Boots Balik Kampung

Finally, after stranded at home on the first day of Raya, the three new boots finally got to see some action on the second day of Raya. Yeay! The Boots Balik Kampung jumpa Opah Kampar. Jumpa Kak and anak-anak serta Kak Encik and family. Best Sesangat!!!!! Tapi tak sempat nak menunaikan permintaan Nisah and Fudhail - yang tak berhenti2 mengSMS - mengajak untuk beraya bersama di rumah Yong sebab kesuntukan masa. Tak pe lar... tanpa kami pun anda masih boleh bersuka ria dengan meriahnya. Kan.. kan ..kan ..kan. Apapun Balik Kampung memang enjoy !!!

Selalunya...selalunya lar, kalau Raya rumah Kak mesti ada benda baru macam tudung tingkap baru ker atau yang sewaktu dengannya. Kali ni tak perasan pulak whether the langsir are new but bilik Aisyah and Nurul dah di cat baru, siap ada feature wall lagi. Suasana raya ker atau suasana ...... Anda hakimilah sendiri yek?
Ini cousin Yan, Kak Encik (nama glamour Aisya) dan suaminya Abg Din. Kami sebenarnya masa di KL pun dah jangka mesti Kak Encik antara orang yang akan terpegun dengan boots yang balik kampung beraya kali ni....
Betul bagai dijangka.... ini dia sedang try the boots, nasib baik ler kaki masih saiz kanak-kanak ria.Alia and Opah Kampar yang tak lama lagi akan menerima cucu menantu. "Practicality, my dear mother in law, practicality."
Arissa, Aisyah, Alia and Asma - eh eh eh sumer starts ngan A.
Anak Kak Encik, anak Kak and anak Yan. Pilih, pilih pilih.
Mak Kampor bergambar dengan cucu dia and anak cucu Kak Yah (Kak Yah ni neighbour Mak paling kamceng di Taman Melayu Jaya). Ni dia orang datang beraya kat rumah Kak. Sebab semuanya mesra-mesra alam, maka bergegar ler rumah Kak sekejap. Siapa yang bercakap siapa yang mendengar entah ler ya!!! Dengar citer, anak-anak Lina dan Ami pun turut try the boots jugak. Fofular ler pulak boots nih yer?

Soalan: Mana Nurul yer? Tak de gambor pun?

Raya Ini - Ziarah Pusara

Hari Raya Kedua. We balik kampung and singgah menziarah pusara kedua-dua Allahyarham Ayahanda tercinta. Journey back home was quite pleasant as there were not many vehicles on the highway considering the Raya season is still in full swing. By the way, bunga kat atas to cool kan? Found it in abundance kat kawasan perkuburan. Reminded me of my childhood as dulu ada pokok bunga ni depan rumah. Masa tu punye ler banyak bunga ni bertaburan depan rumah and we could still cium the bau wangi bunga tu. Apa ra melalut ni....

The ladies at my youngest brother's grave (Mior Azmir 1972-998). Yang kat atas sekali tu was my dad's resting place (Mior Md Isa Haji Mior Mahmud 1934-1988). Ini di Temoh.
Then we moved on to Air Itam, Kampar. Ini kubur bapak Yan (Hasan bin Ngah Ismail 1928-1982). Masa kat sini, we found out that the cemetery dah di upgrade siap ada pagar baru and more well-kept. Penyudahnya melilau-lilau jugak mencari kubur bapak. It does not help when the girls ikut tolong mencari kubur tok dia orang sebab mencari pun dengan mulut2 sekali - "Ini ker emak? Kat situ ler mak! dan sebagainya" Orang-orang lain yang ada kat situ pun heran apahal ler lima beranak riuh rendah mencari kubur. Apa punye anak le kan, kubur bapak sendiri pun tak jumpa.

Raya Ini - Petronas Ads

Every Raya, Petronas advertisements are very much anticipated by many. Over the years, it has become one of the much awaited advert on TV. Rightly so as each year it managed to capture the hearts and attention of million of TV viewers with its simple yet deep (often heart-rending) potrayal of our everyday lives.
This year's Petronas Raya Ad is no exception. It is about an aging and sickly father who - because of his sickness - was "forced" to menumpang at his daughter's beautiful house and how his snobbish son-in-law treated him. Memang real. And I like the part where they showed the photo of the father and his daughter when they are younger and the fdather was healthier.
With that in mind, I decided to capture the Raya mood this year with my daughters...

My beautiful Alia
My pretty Asma
My gorgeous Arissa

Raya Ini - Banjir ler pulak

Kami suami isteri sedang mengemas rumah dari bahana air banjir (gambar kecik jer yee, sebab orang dalam gambar tu dah cukup besar)

Tadi malam hujan lebat gila. Mencurah-curah. Angin kencang sesangat. Ingatkan nak gi beraya ke rumah Anom di Gombak, tapi disebabkan hujan maha lebat tadi, rumah kami kat 9th floor dimasuki air - makanya cancel ler plan tu. Melimpah-limpah hingga ke living hall. Masa ni Kak Nah and famili sedang beraya. Terperanjat jugak. Ingatkan dah duduk tinggi ni tak de la kes banjir nih. Tapi Tuhan punya kuasa, air tetap masuk through the balcony's sliding door. Ya sapa kata duduk tinggi ni tak kena banjir. Tu yang tak jadi pergi rumah Anom tu, tambahan takut ler pulak kot ada flash flood kat KL, kang lagi haru.

Raya Ini - Open House

Aidil Fitri 1427 (2006)

Raya tahun ni, we did something really different. We did not go beraya to a single house pun. Instead, people came to our place in USJ 17. Tak de la ramai manapun tapi tak putus jugaklah tetamu hingga ke malam. Apart from my brother and his family mostly yang datang ialah my cousins yang dah lama jadi rakyat KL. Cousins from both sides - mak and bapak. (By the way, dalam pada sibuk2 tadi tak sempat ler pulak ambik pix my cousin Kak Yan and her family and Kak Yah dari Section14 PJ. Rugi pulak rasanya sebab cucu Kak Yan and Abang An yang sepasang tu punyer ler handsome and cute - kira my cucu sedara lar - anak Jaja and Hatta).

The Pretty Ladies of Mior
The Brothers

(Masa ni baru perasan yang abang aku ni rambut dia colour merah ler, natural colour ke? musykil pulak)
My brother's family sedang beraya. Sambil beraya tengok TV
Yan the perfect host with cousin Iza and her youngest son. Iza and hubby Shook lived in USJ 11, about 5 minutes away from our place. We used to be the very close but not anymore. Memasing sibuk jadi jumpa dalam setahun sekali pun payah. Orang bandar ler katakan. Tadi pun kami terkejut beruk tengok anak bongsu dia dah boleh bercakap pun.
This is Ina and Kidin with their sons. Makcik ni kalau berjumpa macam tak jumpa bertahun - tapi memang betul pun dah bertahun tak berjumpa. Riuh rendah suasana Hari Raya adanya.
This is Mikail. Ina's second son. Kalau ada award for tetamu paling passionate this year - this is the winner. Seronok tengok dia makan, penuh gaya dan penuh emosi. Lepas kenyang, terjumpa pulak pistol mainan Afiq, terus berlari sana-sini sambil nyanyi lagu " Gerak Gerak Khas". Terbongkar rahsia mak dia, tengok Gerak Khas rupanya. Mesti tengok Sembilu jugak kan?
Mak Temoh dan cucu lelaki sulong dia Adam. Suruh Arissa ambikl gambar sekali tak mahu ler pulak dia.

Raya Ini - Observasi Awal

Selamat Hari Raya Dari USJ 17, Subang Jaya. Hari masih awal, dan tak de sapa yang datang beraya lagi. Asma dah boring. Anyway, hari ni Yan masak Nasi Tomato yang sedap sekali. Antara observasi awal Raya kali ni:

1. Ramainya orang Bangla dan Indon beraya kat Subang Jaya. Macam tahun sudah-sudah jugak.

2. Asma tidur pukul enam pagi tadi. Sejam kemudian dah bangun. Tu sekarang tengah ting-tong mengantuk.

3. Nasi Tomato dan lauk-pauk dia sedap sekali, tambah Yan masak Rendang Tok.

4. Syok rupanya raya kat rumah sendiri ni. Tapi bukanler first time raya kat sini cuma seronok this time around sebab anak-anak dah besar.

5. Baru perasan yang dari rumah ni boleh nampak kedua-dua LDP and Lebuhraya Utara Selatan ler. Cool. Boleh check the traffic.

6. Tadi lepas Solat Raya, lalu kat depan Restoran Melur yang famous kat sini and punyeler ramai bebudak muda yang melepak kat kedai Mamak tu. Beraya kat situ ropa2nya depa, siap ngan baju Melayu lagi. Kalau mak dia orang tengok mesti dia orang meraung.

Asma yang mengantuk and Alia yang melayan perasaan

Arissa yang khusyuk tengok TV

Dua lebuhraya yang boleh dilihat dari balkoni rumah - kalau tak nampak saje ler

Meja biskut Raya

Meja Utama (ahak meja utama lagi) dengan pelbagai juadah Raya. Kat rumah orang lain pun sama jer.

SALAM HARI RAYA DARI KAMI

Kepada semua kaum keluarga serta rakan taulan yang kenal akan kami sekeluarga, pada Aidil Fitri ini kami mohon ampun dan maaf di atas segala kekhilafan dan kesilapan kami. Moga Sinar Aidil Fitri menerangi kehidupan anda semua. Semoga Ramadan yang ini menjadi fitrah yang diterima Allah S.W.T.

{Dan mohon maaf juga kepada sesiapa yang kami masih belum berkesempatan membayar hutang, kami sedang mengusahakannya dan InsyaAllah, sedikit masa lagi kami berkemampuan, doakan ya.}

Azhar, Azian, Alia, Asma and Arissa

Dekor Raya

Alia with her almost ready Raya Tree

Hari ni Alia and adik2 dia menghiasi Raya Tree. This is so that the house ada suasana Raya, sebab selalunya memang tak dak suasana Raya. Kena pulak dah duduk kat 9th floor lagi ler tak boleh pasang panjut. Nak pasang lampu lip-lap, Bapak dia orang tak reti-reti ler pulak. So in the end, we decided that Raya Tree it is for us this year.

So tadi pagi pergi Puchong cari ranting kayu nak buat Raya Tree. Punyale panas berbahang hari nih. Balik2 rumah jer terus tidur balik sampai dekat2 nak buka puasa. Kira satu hari ni tidur ler.

Buka Puasa

Dah makan-makan, kami amik gambar. Macam pelakun Samarinda ler pulak kan kan kan

Sejak dua menjak ni, I try not to buka puasa kat luar, especially kat hotel, unless it is really necessary. Bukan apa cuma I felt reaaallly guilty sebab I got to eat ridiculously banyak punya makanan at the hotel whilst the girls at home tak. Nak bawak dia orang almaklumlah, sorang ajer dah berplus-plus RM. Maner nak Raya lagi.

Anyway, yesterday the office did a buka puasa at the Palace of the Golden Horses and at the same time meraikan anak-anak yatim from Puchong. Terpaksalah jugak pergi. As usual, makanan punyala melambak-lambak, boleh feed entire nation somewhere in Africa. Dah tua2 ni, bukan boleh makan banyak pun.

Ini nak bagi tahu, if you are fat, don't ever forever take photo with yourself right in the centre of the picture. No amount of effects will help you not to be the focus of the picture. Not even when you have a friend sitting next to you and trying very hard to look like a demented person will help you.....

This is how it should be. Fat people to the back. Nyorok belakang orang. Better still biar muka jer yang nampak. Tapi kalau muka pun sebesar2 bumi, err so sorry ler ya.

Anak Mak Yang Rajin

Alhamdullilah, anak anak dara kami boleh menolong di dapur. Ringan sikit beban Yan sekali kala. Tetapi dalam tiga orang tu Asma lah yang paling rajin membantu. Tambah-tambah ketika musim buat biskut Raya seperti sekarang ni. Asma bila menolong memang boleh dipuji, dari mula sehingga selesai semua dia akan membantu. Memang ringan tulang. Tak macam sesetengah budak (dan orang tua jugak) yang rajinnya diawal-awal projek ajer. Tahun ni memang dah plan dengan mak dia nak bikin pelbagai biskut Raya. Jemputlah datang bila Raya nanti....

Perancangan Yan dan Anak-anak ialah untuk Raya kali ni nak membuat:

Jem Tart, Biskut Oat Kelapa, London Almond, Majorca, Crystal Ball, Blueberry Cookies, Cornflakes, Kuih Karas, Kuih Kapit, Fruit& Nut Candy, Samprit, Peanut Butter.

(Ini kira nak match the feat yang selalu dilakukan oleh my cousin Nyah Intan kat Taman Tun yang setiap kali raya tak sah kalau tak bersusun container kuih atas meja makan dia. Dan meja dia pula ada dua buah. Bayangkan ler betapa meriahnya meja dia beraya.)

Tangan-tangan ibu dan anak yang membuat biskut raya dengan riang ria. Tangan orang lain tak de sebab dua tangan kecik tengah surf Internet dan satu tangan besar lelaki sedang tengok TV dengan rasa tak bersalah langsung.

"Puan-puan sekelian, selepas siap dibakar, makanya biskut ini perlu disimpan di dalam bekas kedap udara. Tak pun elok dimakan sahaja," kata Miss Asma (tahun depan masuk TV ler buat siri masak2 untuk bulan Ramadan)

Feeling2 Pergi Harrods!

Ini Zul yang ambik sebab dia terror ambik gambor

Yesterday, I went to Harrods. Tapi tak beli apa-apa pun sebab biasalah barang kat Harrods mahal-mahal. Dah tu tak de banyak mana pun barang-barangnya. Maklumlah Harrods kat KLIA tak besar mana - takat besar2 booth pameran Sure Heboh jer. Tapi jadik ler dapat feeling2 pegi London. (Harrods outlet ni is right away after you check in immigration counter for international departure kat KLIA).

I was with my colleague Zul yesterday. Mamat ni ropa2nyer tak pernah lepas the immigration line kat KLIA. Punyer ler dia syok dapat naik aerotrain yang gi Satellite Building, satu hal le pulak aku kena ikut dia ulang-alik naik aerotrain.

Opah dan Cucu2nya

Opah Temoh and her nine grandchildren - Safia, Soraya, Sabrina, Adam, Alia, Asma, Arissa, Azam and Azizah

My family came down for buka puasa today. Mak came with Mi from Temoh today. Then my brothers and their families came as well. Dah lama sungguh we did not berkumpul ramai2 sebegini rupa. Keadaan memaksa. Kesilapan memungkinkannya.

Anyway, alhamdullilah semua hadir. Makanan pulak berlambak-lambak. Macam nak buat kenduri untuk 100 orang. Mak pulak bawak lauk-pauk dia dari kampung.

Apapun sebab dah lama tak buat gathering macam ni, terduduk jugak kami suami isteri keletihan. Penyudahnya, makan pun ala kadar ajer. Penat punya pasal. Lagipun dah tua. Nasib baik ada anak dara tiga orang yang boleh membantu. Ringan sikit beban.

Dush! Terkena Sebijik

Yesterday, after berbuka, I happened to watch an Astro Ria programme called Kembara Iman. It is a programme about saudara baru yang embraced Islam in Malaysia and how they are coping with being a Muslim.

The particular show that I was watching zeroed in on Haji Muhammad Farid Rawi which I think is a lecturer somewhere plus a pendakwah with Perkim ler kot. Just listening to this Tuan Haji, which I'm pretty certain is waaaay younger than me, menyebabkan diri ini terasa kerdil. Here is a former Hindu man who went through a lot to learn about Islam - he took it upon himself to learn Islam and even went over to Jordan to earn his degree in Usuluddin. All these on his own, okay. Tak dak sapa tolong bagi duit.

He even managed to convert his mother as well after so many years. The mother passed on three months later. Likewise with his brother who embraced Islam a month before he died.

My favourite quote was when he said: "kali pertama saya masuk ke dalam masjid badan saya seperti dihujani salji. Sejuk tak terkata. Bahagia tak terucap. Bukan macam sesetengah orang sekarang yang pergi masjid pun susah." Terkena sebijik.

"And Mior Azhar? What have you achieved thus far?"

For that I am humbled. Thank You Tuan Haji, for bringing me back to earth.

Allah is GREAT!!!

Ramadan Ini (1427H)

As we are in the month of Ramadhan, we should ask ourselves:

Will we live to witness the next Ramadhan?
Will we live to witness the end of this Ramadhan?
Will we live to do what we keep postponing to do for our akhirat?

May Allah give us the determination to demonstrate to Him, with all the blessings given to us by Him, that we are worthy of His mercy before our turn comes to meet Him.

May Allah accept what you are investing for your hereafter.
May Allah encourage you to invest even more and in a smarter way for your hereafter.
May Allah multiply manifold the rewards of the investments for your hereafter.
May Allah unite us with His forgiveness, mercy and best of paradise in the hereafter

On a lighter note

Ramadan Ini.....Apasal lah

1. Both wife and I tak leh makan banyak2. Tak macam tahun2 lepas - memang balun habih. Masa berbuka, maximum mesti satu pinggan nasi sahaja. Kalau terlajak pi, mesti terpengsan-pengsan sakit angin satu badan.

2. Kalau pergi Bazaar Ramadan tak teruja pun tengok lauk-pauk and kuih-muih yang ada. Asyik turun naik sepanjang-panjang alam Bazaar tu sambil tengok2 ajer melenguhkan kaki jer.

3. Berat badan tak turun-turun hatta 1 gram sekali pun. Kadar Metabolism dah beku kot.

4. Bila balik kerja jer, penuh kereta atas jalan raya. Balik awal jam, balik lewat pun jam.

5. I became such an anti-social bloke. Asal ada invitation to buka puasa kat hotel mana2, mesti aku buat muka seposen. Mesti aku tak pergi. Macam semalam, habih satu office hilang gi PWTC to berbuka, aku pulak tetiba tunjuk rajin buat kerja.

6. Tak der pun sedara mara ker adik-beradik ker atau kengkawan yang ajak berbuka kat rumah dia orang. Very tak popular already.

7. Bila bangun sahur, hanya mampu makan sebiji buah kurma dan segelas air sahaja. Macam orang2 alim ler pulak.

8. Haze datang lagi. Hujan ler lebat maner pun, esok jerebu ni tetap setia bersama kita.

9. tatau nak tulis apa dah ....

10. I am still not rich

Babies are Heaven Sent!!

As parents, both of us are most proud of our three angels. Tak kisah lah apa orang lain nak kata, we simply think that the three girls are adorable and cute - absolutely. Mak bapak ler katakan. Normal le tukan. Tambah2 lagi masa dia orang masih babies dulu.

Alia

Asma

Arissa

(Sebenarnya posting ni posting dengki kerana nak tiru ada blog orang tu yang ada posting anak dia yang cute. Blog sapa? Biarlah Rahsia...)

Bergaya Raya

In our household, selalunya after beli baju raya anak-anak, bila sampai balik rumah mesti ada sesi try-try baju Raya yang baru dibeli. Dah jadi macam tradition ler pulak kat sini. Siap ambik gambar lagi. Gambar di atas adalah contohnya. Macam Next Top Model punyer pose ajer. Macam artis pun ada. Issh, risau ler pulak aku.....

The Kite Runner

I thrive on fictions. I still do. And as far as this year goes, there's one fiction that really stands out, at least to me. And this book is by far My Best Book of The Year. Simply Marvelous. Found it by chance a few months ago at Kinokuniya and have been re reading it several times over.

It is called The Kite Runner - authored by an Afghan medical doctor who grew up in San Francisco, Khaled Hosseini.

It is about an illiterate Afghan boy with an uncanny instinct for predicting exactly where a downed kite will land. Growing up in the city of Kabul in the early 1970s, Hassan was a loyal 11-year-old with "a face like a Chinese doll" and was the son of his best friend's (Amir) father's servant and a member of Afghanistan's despised Hazara minority. But in 1975, on the day of Kabul's annual kite-fighting tournament, something unspeakable happened between the two boys.

The Kite Runner tells the gripping story of a boyhood friendship destroyed by jealousy, fear, and the kind of ruthless evil that transcends mere politics. Running parallel to this personal narrative of loss and redemption is the story of modern Afghanistan and of Amir's equally guilt-ridden relationship with the war-torn city of his birth. Said to be the first Afghan novel to be written in English, The Kite Runner begins in the final days of King Zahir Shah's 40-year reign and traces the country's fall from a secluded oasis to a tank-strewn battlefield controlled by the Russians and then the Taliban.

Kalau ada kesempatan, I suggest that you read this book. Somehow, this book humbles me. And it's only a fiction, boleh? I can't help it - it's the melodramatic me that read (and feel) the book.

Yeah, How old am I again?