Being A Bapak

Makan Besar!!

2012-01-23T09:08:00.001+08:00

Last night, we suka-suka decided to have our own special dinner. Simple makan besar do la kunun2nya. We pekena Chicken Spinach Quiche and Beef Tortilla (although if you notice from the pix it somehow looks like a cross between a pavlova and lasagne) and a bag of caramel popcorn (courtesy of seseorang pekerja MBO - but the popcorn is super good, I tell you). Awesome. Alhamdulillah.

Books Of 2011

2012-01-22T20:42:00.002+08:00

These are my most favoured books of last year (yes, it includes – what most of you would consider - a children’s book but really I don’t care.. a good read is a good read). I enjoyed these books thoroughly.

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Okay, Amazon rates this book as suitable for those aged 10 and up. Since I too belong way up there demographically, I figure I am entitled to read this book without rasa malu. After all, my teenage girls, wife and I are huge fans of Percy Jackson series. And this is the second book in Heroes Of Olympus series, which in turn is a spin-off of Percy Jackson series.

The verdict: I absolutely adored this book! In fact, it’s such a page turner and I think is so much better than the Lost Hero (that’s the first book in the series, by the way). The Son of Neptune reunites readers with old friends and introduces them to a whole new cast of characters. Rick Riordan is a master at balancing just the right amount of seriousness and levity in every situation, and with page-turning adventure, witty dialogue, and fun, fascinating characters, this book is a must-read for any fan of myths and fables.

Hail Riordan!!!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

We (Asma and I) kind of stumbled onto this book when we both registered with Goodreads late last year and this book won both Best Young Adult book and Best Overall Book of 2011 on Goodreads as voted by the members

Then one fine day, we found this book at Kino and of course we brought it back home. Asma read it first and told me that she thinks I might not like it. Well, she thought wrong. I too can stomach dystopian novels, you know and of course I’m a fan of Hunger Games too. So why not?

The Verdict: Divergent is a thrill ride. It is a wonderful dystopia-based story filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance. I can’t wait for the sequel, Insurgent, due out May 2012.

If there’s one thing that I don’t like about this whole Divergent thing is that its author Veronica Roth is only 22 year old???!!! So not fair, how can a person that young write this great. Am so dengki.

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

I have been a fan of Lord Archer sudah lama since I started reading his earlier novels when I was in college still. In fact I very much preferred his earlier works like Kane and Abel, The Prodigal Daughter and many more so much so I kind of not really enjoying his more recent works.

Until, of course, when Only Time Will Tell landed on my lap, that is. This introductory novel in Archer’s ambitious series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War.

The Verdict: This is Jeffrey Archer at his best. This is a solid storytelling, with bold characters, a world-wide setting, and a story that has enough twists, turns, and sneaky heart-stoppers to definitely merit the label "page turner."

**************

Last year, I am also very pleased to note, I stumbled upon good Bahasa Malaysia fictions too. These three are my favorites:

Pecah by Khairulnizam Bakeri

Awal 2011, sebuah publishing house tempatan, Fixi, muncul tiba-tiba dengan novel-novel urbannya yang thrilling. Di antara buku terawal yang diterbitkan ialah Pecah.

The Verdict: Sekali lagi saya menjadi cemburu amat kerana Khairulnizam Bakeri berjaya menghasilkan sebuah karya yang exciting. Its about a gang of robbers headed by Herman manages to steal money from a bank in Shah Alam. But one of them gets shot, and has to be sent to hospital. In the same hospital, an old man from a nursing home, Bakar, is being treated. These two stories are connected in a way that is slowly revealed, via flashbacks to Bakar's violent past in the cabarets of Singapore and Penang. A fantastic first effort by Khairulnizam, indeed.

Dendam by Affifuddin Omar

As a young journalist in the 90s, I’ve covered assignments graced by the then deputy finance minister Datuk Affifuddin Omar. Only after this title came out did I realise that the good minister is also an accomplished writer. In fact, Dendam is his sixth novel.

The Verdict: A fast paced business thriller that’s been cleverly intertwined with the country’s various political turn of events. Both my wife Yan and I have had a field day trying to figure out the real characters that are being loosely “immortalized” in this wonderful novel. Pada kami, ini Dendam adalah satu hasil usaha yang amat bijak.

Kerana Terpaksa by Ilham Kalsom

The only unputdownable book of 2011 for me and this coming from me who can’t stand Ombak Rindu the movie (oh how I hate that movie!!). Saya memang tersangat jarang membaca novel Melayu genre kisah cinta sebegini. Pernah cuba dengan buku-buku lain tapi mampu setakat dua tiga muka surat sahaja.

Okay, it has nothing to do with the fact that the author Ilham Kalsom (or Elviza Michelle, nama sebenar) is my friend. But I must confess that I finished this book in one sitting which is a big deal really.

So tak payah tanyalah pasal verdict saya ya. Apappun, Ilham Kalsom awal-awal lagi sudah memohon maaf bahawa karya sulongnya ini bukan sempurna. Namun ia digarap penuh menarik.

Anyway, I shot her an email soon after I completed the book and I would like to share our short Q&A with you guys…

1. Cover buku itu dipilih siapa ya? Ada significant ke ia? Isn't that Venice (instead of Paris)?

Ilham: It is Venice. I set part of the story in Paris but I guess the young graphic designer didn't know the difference between Paris & Venice. Epic fail! I have no say on the cover design and the outlook of the book, it is all publisher's prerogative.

2. Kenapa guna nama Ilham Kalsom? Siapa Ilham Kalsom sebenarnya?

Ilham: Every author in Buku Prima and Karangkraf use a pen name, they suggested I have one too. I like 'Kalsom' for no specific reason. But 'Ilham' is given by the editor who insisted I should have 2 names. 'Ilham' is a bit self descriptive if you ask me.

3. Berapa lama you menulis Kerana Terpaksa?

Ilham: About 2-3 years. Started way before that but I peram the manuscript because I was scared shitless.

4. And are the characters and the story line based on any real life characters? (kalau ya, pengsan kan ada orang mcm Raja Habibah di alam nyata).

Ilham: Suria, Tengku Haizal and Raja Habibah are based on real characters. But the ending isn't the same, Suria and Tg Haizal didn't end up together. Suria is still single while Haizal is divorced. I guess too much pain have tortured them for so long, they couldn't pick up where they left off. Perhaps someday they will.

5. When can we expect your next masterpiece??? soon I hope... Go Ilham!

Ilham: Next book not so soon. At the rate I'm going it will take another couple of years. Aku sungguh lembab.

Heyo heyo its mid jan oredy!! And our first 2012 get-together!

2012-01-19T16:50:00.000+08:00

I've got tons of things to write and share but just could not find the time.... (lazy pun ya). It's already 2012.
The other day, we drove up to Cyberjaya where we , courtesy of nephew Affan, enjoyed possibly the best Nasi Arab so far. (lapar pun ya). And it's great fun to meet up with my brother in law's family as well. Here's some of the pix....

Awesome food and company!!

Tuan Rumah Majlis and Tukang Belanja. Hail Affan!!!

An aunt and two nephews (two other nephews can't make it)

Aidil and his two tantes - Tante Cha and Tante Lia

Ain, the centre of attention and attraction that petang, with Tante Ma and Tok Uncle.


Simply loving this - Ain and her Oyang.

It was definitely a fun day.... more ... more and more of these. InsyaAllah.

2011 Birthdays Fare

2011-12-18T01:26:00.001+08:00

We try to celebrate our birthdays every time it rolls by. When the girls were smaller, we held parties. Then as they grew up, we moved on to special eat out sessions (usually birthday dinners of choice). This year, we decided to spice it up by having exclusive birthday meals at home. What it meant was that we took turn to cook special meal for the birthday boy or girls...

In April, the wifey turned .. errr.. 40 something and well we had nasi minyak spread. Unfortunately, the nasi minyak was prepared by the birthday girl herself - have to as we had many people, mother in law, wife's sisters, nieces and nephews in attendance - we can't possibly served my cooking to all these people, can we?

Last week I turned 47 and the girls surprised me an awesome authentic Thai fare

Then in November, we surprised Arissa with a Japanese-inspired feast - complete with the sushi, miso soup and the works during her 15 year old dinner

And a day before Ramadan, our two August girls Alia and Asma were given a full blown French lunch treats when they turned 17- and 16-years old respectively.

Love My Breakfast!!

2011-12-17T13:21:00.000+08:00

Today I decided to eat a big huge breakfast. No reason.

My Breakfast When Selangor is On Holiday!

2011-12-12T13:41:00.001+08:00

Like many Selangor residents, I work in KL. So when Selangor is having their state public holiday, like today, we still have to go to work. So not fair! But at least, today the wifey made this Chicken Spinach Crepe for breakfast. One word, awesome!

Kids I Adore!!

2011-11-30T18:56:00.001+08:00

Last week, I flew up north and met up with these adorable nephews and a niece. Many years ago, the parents (my cousins) of these wonderful kids spent lots of time at our place and at the same time helped us look after the three daughters. Now, its their turn to enjoy the ride!!

From left: Adi (Ayah Ngah's current best friend), Zikri (a very wary handsome little guy) and Ihsan (a very friendly curious little fella)

The new additions: Ilman (left) and the one and only beauty Sarah.

The best mirror in the world is an old friend.

2011-11-29T23:37:00.003+08:00

According to a certain John Leonard, it takes a long time to grow an old friend. And I say, it sure takes a long time to grow bigger and bald too - 30 years to be exact.

A Day Out With Arissa

2011-11-28T15:16:00.001+08:00

Last Saturday, bapak and mak accompanied Arissa to a certain anime and manga exhibition in Sungei Wang Plaza , KL. Being an anime and manga fan yang tegar, Arissa was suitably excited. Unlike the two parents who till today are still clueless about all these anime and manga business. What's the difference between the two, anyway?

The exhibition was organised by Gempak Starz (most probably the most well known manga publisher in Malaysia). Funny thing is that the wifey keeps on referring organiser as Gangstarz!!!!

It was an okay event, I guess, complete with a Cosplay competition and all - although I can only identify Spiderman (very skinny one though), Mario of Super Mario fame and the awkward looking Hellboy.

Now, Arissa is really excited and can't wait for a bigger Comic Fiesta to roll by on Dec 17th weekend. Uhuhhh!!!

The two parents

My Two Cats!!

2011-11-28T02:04:00.001+08:00

A picture can be deceiving you know.... just saying!!!

Father-Daughter Day Out

2011-11-08T17:15:00.002+08:00

The older my daughters get, the more it's sinking in that I don't have much time left to spend with them! My youngest turns 15 today. And the two older ones will, in a year or two, be going to college.

Many said that it's hard to find things to do with your teenage daughter. You might be busy, they might have better things to do. But I am blessed because I don’t really have problems in that area.

The thing is I make it a point to keep up with their interest like movies and music and…. books. Yes, we read a lot and books, in some way, do help making our relationships closer.

Once in a while, the wifey and I will make it a point to go out with one daughter. It's not that we plan it but mostly the day out would be an impromptu act. It can just be a trip to the stationery store or to a mamak stall but I find that these are great bonding moments.

Like the other day, the second daughter and I went to Suria KLCC with a mission to buy some Japanese foodstuff at Isetan. You see, we wanted to surprise Arissa with a Japanese-themed birthday dinner at home. The trip was unplanned, really.

It was after I sent my eldest daughter off to her study group that I concluded that since it’s a Deepavali holiday, I might as well do something worthwhile rather than taking a long nap. So off we went to Suria KLCC. Wifey willingly stayed back with Arissa as we do not want to spoil the surprise.

We have, of course, been to Suria KLCC countless times, but it was still fun because this time around we stumbled upon the Petronas Gallery.

Then we had lunch (Japanese, of course) at the Food Court and then we went to our favorite place in the whole wide Malaysia – Kinokuniya. We spent hours browsing in Kino and then had some coffee and got excited over Kathy Reich’s latest book.

A trip to Isetan supermarket later capped our father-daughter day out. I tell you that shopping at Isetan is an experience because we were attended to by a very nice Japanese manager who not only helped us to find the right halal Japanese food stuff but also he gave us, with the help of one Isetan’s chef, a free lesson on how to make an amazing miso soup. Isn’t that just cool?

Anyway, we have had the birthday dinner last week (a runaway success, I must say). We had it a week earlier because we figured that we would be busy with Raya Haji this week.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Arissa Sweetheart! May Allah Blessed You Always!!!

The Reunion ... 30 years later

2011-10-24T13:43:00.005+08:00

Facebook has certainly reconnect millions. And ever so often, you’ll see pictures of reunions being held all over. Thanks to Facebook, friends got reunited after leaving school decades ago. I saw one 50^th reunion once and I went “wow, that’s exciting!”. And, then, I also stumbled upon this one particular reunion by 18 year-olds that was held after only three months of leaving school and I went, “what’s with that, at least wait la for SPM result first.”

Anywayyyyyy……

I recently had the good pleasure of attending my 30-year secondary school reunion. And thanks to FB, many old friends became contactable again.

And I had one of the best days of my life. Really, I did. If you have a reunion coming up, Go! Without hesitation. Don’t believe all those crappy TV shows that depict school reunion as hellish experience. Unless, of course, you did have a mega lousy time in school.

I, fortunately, did not (have a lousy time) although I was perpetually in awed with smart and the sporty students while in school. I was neither – smart and athletics, I mean. I was one of the many that flew under the radar, so to speak.

Was I happy anxious to go? Err yeah… especially knowing fully well that I’ll be the fattest person in the party…. But I’m older and I don’t really care anymore. And these are my friends who knew me when I was way younger.

I guess when you reached the 47^th years of your life, classmates were less inclined to compete and compare. The 30 years of living provided the roller coaster of life’s ups and downs that tend to mature people. Who has the biggest house or the fastest car just doesn’t matter so much any more. It was a time of talking about family and other harmless stuff.

More importantly, it was time to relive those teenage years. The din at the Grand Kampar Hotel hall on Oct 1^st, 2011 could certainly gave one a headache as everybody seemed to be talking, laughing and singing (yes, we sang) at the same time. I tell you that it was fun all the way as BM, English and Cantonese were spoken at the same time.

Of course, there’re a few who look as they do not age at all (yes, very unfair) but I must say that mostly all look matured and wise.

It’s just too bad that I have to leave early as we had (Adzman and I) to send Zul back to LCCT as he had to catch his flight back to Langkawi. But there will be next time. InsyaAllah., I’m sure of that!

Beraya Online

2011-09-11T14:28:00.000+08:00

Tahun ni memang pecah rekod.... kami satu keluarga memang ngam-ngam berhari raya satu hari sahaja... on the first day. Masuk second day, balik asal dah. Begitulah kot kalau tak balik kampung. Sehinggalah membawak dekat dua minggu berhari raya, masih tak le mana-mana beraya... kena pulak memang tak ada open house.

Jadinya, beraya tahun ni memang banyak di online la... dan tonton TV (btw, can TV3 stop air the stupid Melodi immediately... sheesssh!). Bila online, seperti biasa dok usha wall orang lain kat FB dan blogwalking... seronok jugak tengok orang lain beraya.... tengok satu family pakai baju kaler sama setiap raya (what's with that???) and yang paling best dok tengok lauk pauk raya orang lain...

Tapi biasalah dah online ...tak boleh tidak mesti terbaca kes-kes boring yang menaikkan darah dan memedihkan ulu hati....

Antara Kes Pedih Ulu Hati Musim Raya (Online)

1. Tetiba orang Melayu ucap Eid bagai... instead of the usual Selamat Hari Raya AidilFitri... (amboi moden dah kita ya)
2. Wish raya sesama member dan kaum kerabat pon dah tulis in English... kalau grammar tu betoi cantik satu hal la plak (ish ish ish)
3. Amik gambor Raya kunun tapi ... errr.. kenapa semua gambor close up jer (oh nak tunjuk make up Raya , ekk?)...
4. Baju raya yang pompuan seketat-ketatnya (alahai adik-adik....tak sesak nafas ka?) dan baju raya yang lelaki pulak jenis see through sampai nampak singlet hitam (like... eeeewwww!)

Yang Menaikkan Darah pulak....

1. Petknode punya kes
2. Politicians (especially penyokong tegar tak hengat mereka) yang dari bulan Ramadan membawak masuk malam raya dan seterusnya asyik salah menyalah each other dalam wall memasing . Depa ni tak tau ka konsep take a break and tarik nafas and maaf memaaf and enjoy live tenang-tenang? (Penat la woiiii!)

Raya 2011

2011-09-04T21:23:00.003+08:00

This Year's Raya is very the simple. And low key. We practically Raya on the first day of Syawal. Only. But it's fun nevertheless.

The five of us after the Solat Raya at home.

Then we made our wy to my brother's place in Shah Alam to beraya with Mak and my brothers and their families.

And then we rushed back to receive Yan's brothers and their families.... fun, fun, fun!

Clearly sederhana tetapi meriah proportion punya raya.

David Archuleta Live In KL!!

2011-07-20T15:46:00.001+08:00

I don’t think I am qualified to be a DiGi Angel but I’m trying my luck here.

Okay, I want to watch David Archuleta performs live next Tuesday in Stadium Negara.

Here’s the thing… my eldest daughter Alia (she’s currently walking around believing that she’s Mr Archuleta’s future wife….and I went: huh???????) will be going with her best friend, Iman and somehow I got “manipulated” into becoming their chauffeur for the evening. And yes, I am merely a driver for the day as I don't have a ticket to get in and watch.

And I still blame myself for agreeing as just what am I supposed to do while waiting for them to enjoy the night away – I can see, feel and smell the traffics in and around the area already. Oh drag!

So, I think it will be awesome if I can get in to watch David Archuleta too with the wife (well, she’s a huge fan of Archuleta too and thinks that boy is a good “menantu” material as well and I was like ???????).

Nevertheless, I’m sure with David Archuleta crooning, it’ll be an amazing date night for two middle aged parents like us. After all, he’s a way better singer than JB. Hoyeah.

Archuleta if he decides to become my son-in-law.

“Brought to you by DiGiMusic Pluz, the first DRM free MP3 music download service in Malaysia”.

Yang best dan yang klasik

2011-06-08T17:31:00.001+08:00

Dua minggu lalu ketika lawatan bulanan kami ke MPH, kami bawa pulang Pecah karya Khairulnizam Bakeri dan karya klasik To Kill a Mockingbird oleh Harper Lee. Macam bagus sahaja padahal di rumah sana masih bersusun buku yang belum dibaca. Tapi sudah memang dasar semulajadi… beli jangan tak beli.

Lagipun Asma sudah lama kepingin mahu membaca How To Kill A Mockingbird setelah lewat setahun lalu dia dapat membaca To Catch a Rye oleh J.D Salinger (yang tak ada apa-apa cerita pun tapi entah kenapa tetap menarik, katanya ketawa).

Oh satu perkara, malangnya MPH Subang Parade tiada kedapatan Kerana Terpaksa oleh Ilham Kalsom aka Elviza Michelle (rakan blogger saya yang sekarang belum ada kesempatan berjumpa). Dengar khabar, cerita yang itu amat menarik….. mesti cari.

Tetapi sekarang saya sedang membaca The Throne of Fire (beli last week di Popular Sunway), buku kedua dalam siri Kane Chronicles hasil penulis kegemaran saya masa kini Rick Riordan. Ketika ke situ, juga masih tak ketemu Kerana Terpaksa… wah payah sungguh mahu membeli.

Apapun, entri kali ini saya mahu bercerita pendek mengenai Pecah (nak reviu panjang-panjang pun sudah ramai yang berbuat demikian). Saya baru tamat khatam buku itu dan saya amat menyukainya. Seperti biasa Asma sudah membacanya terlebih dahulu dan dua perkataan yang keluar dari mulutnya ialah: “Best Giler!”

Kini saya sudah pun membacanya (walaupun terhegeh-hegeh cuba membaca pantas sebelum rasa ngantuk menguasai diri) dan saya amat bersetuju --- Pecah Memang Best Giler.

Garapannya amat bijak dan saya kini berangan mahu jadi sebijak Khairulnizam Bakeri dan menulis novel sebaik itu. Bilalah agaknya tu?

Sebelum itu saya mahu baca lain-lain novel terbitan Fixi jugak yang rata-rata menerima ulasan baik. Hmm, tunggu gaji hujung bulanlah.

Mainstream ke Mior?

2011-05-21T02:31:00.001+08:00

Ceh! Rupa paras pon tak mainstream !

As we race towards the second half of 2100, it just dawned on me how mainstream I'm not.

Okay, I admit that I am a rather prolific FB user (you can’t get more mainstream than that, can you?) but I am such a klutz in so many other popular areas.

Like, I don’t do BPL so I could not hold any decent conversation whenever the mere mention of Manchester United or Chelsea or Arsenal pops up. Attended a dinner once and suddenly everybody at the table started spewing English football data and facts, left and right. And, of course, I just sat there like a total miserable loser.

I used to like watching endless reality shows on TV but not anymore … not even my favoured The Amazing Race and Top Chef. And I stopped watching American Idol two seasons ago.

The thing is that I now find it funny that Malaysians are generally crazy about football in England and a singing contest in America. This is 1Malaysia, right?

Speaking of 1Malaysia, or Malaysia as many of us know it, I also steer away from sharing my opinion on the many political related issues. Although I do have a strong opinion about certain stuff, I’ve decided that I’ll keep it to myself. It’s just that I’m too old with a heart not nearly strong enough to be arguing about those issues. Lagipun, I do have hypertension and it certainly doesn’t do me any good to have me agitated about why certain leader is doing what to another leader. After all, harga gula tetap naik jugak kan?

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against English football and US reality show – I used to like it too at one time. But I grew old.. so I guess my interest .. err.. sort of evolved.

Today, I still read fiction a lot but have expanded (kunun2nya) my reading to authors like Jiro Akagawa, Ilham Kalsom and Khairulnizam Bakeri, among others. Real brilliant stuff, there.

And as for TV programmes, my current favourite shows include Criminal Minds, Law and Order SVU, White Collar, NCIS and Hawaii Five-O. Rather nostalgic, actually as I grew up with detective series like the older Hawaii Five-O, Mannix and Policewoman. But no, I don’t do Glee much.

I love Tanyalah Ustaz over TV9 too and find TV9’s weekend morning talk shows Nasi Lemak Kopi O quite interesting.

That’s pretty much it. And I’m enjoying it.

(Nampak sangat entry kali ini tiada arah tuju.. oh! Well)

A Note to my Princesses!

2011-05-03T22:34:00.001+08:00

Dearest Alia, Asma and Arissa

I am writing this to you because some words are better said early. I am your father, and if I don't tell you these, no one else will. Remember the following as you go through life.............

1. Do not bear grudge towards those who are not good to you. No one has the responsibility of treating you well, except your mother and I. To those who are good to you, you have to treasure it and be thankful, and ALSO you have to be cautious, because, everyone has a motive for every move. When a person is good to you, it does not mean he really likes you. You have to be careful, don't hastily regard him as a real friend.

2. No one is indispensable and nothing in the world is important enough that you must possess. Once you understand this idea, it would be easier for you to go through life when people around you don't want you anymore, or when you lose what/who you love most.

3. Life is short. When you waste your life today, tomorrow you would find that life is leaving you. The earlier you treasure your life, the better you enjoy life.

4. Love is but a transient feeling, and this feeling would fade with time and with one's mood. If your so called loved one leaves you, be patient, time will wash away your aches and sadness. Don't over exaggerate the beauty and sweetness of love, and don't over exaggerate the sadness of falling out of love.

5. A lot of successful people did not receive a good education, that does not mean that you can be successful by not studying hard! Whatever knowledge you gain is your weapon in life. One can go from rags to riches, but one has to start from some rags!

6. Check your temper always. Better still, leave you anger (which most probably are unwarranted anyway) at home. Nobody likes foul-tempered person. You don't like those person and don't ever be one. If you meet someone who is one, be the classy one - be gracious and stay calm!

7. You honour your words, but don't expect others to do so. You can be good to people, but don't expect people to be good to you. If you don't understand this, you would end up with unnecessary troubles.

8. If you want to be successful, you have to work hard and smart and pray a lot! There is no free lunch!

9. No matter how much time I have with you, let's treasure the time we have together.

Love,

Bapak

p.s: Now girls, go find yourselves kind hearted, Allah fearing princes to be your soul mate. Start looking!!!

(As much as I wanted to claim that I wrote this letter myself but the truth is that this is actually an edited version of a letter from a renown Hong Kong TV broadcaster cum Child Psychologist to his son. It came into my inbox and of course I've edited and added some points .. you know to correspond with my relationships with my daughters... but the words are actually applicable to all of us, young or old, children or parents.!)

English - Confusing Language

2011-04-26T17:57:00.000+08:00

The following came into my inbox a couple of days ago... courtesy of my cousin Kak Mah.... enjoy!(especially to those who have mastered this rather "unruly" language)

AN ODE OF ENGLISH PLURALS

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
Neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England .
We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
We find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,
Grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and
Get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
Should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
While a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You
have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
In which your house can burn up as it burns down,
In which you fill in a form by filling it out, and
In which an alarm goes off by going on.

And in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop?

I must admit that after more than 20 years of writing, mostly in English, I've yet to master the language. More often than not I still find myself at loss and still got it all wrong, gramatically that is.
But that's English language for you and that's why I have my utmost respect to those who are able to pen and write beautiful words and sentences in English --- you know people like JK Rowlings and Rick Riordan and Meg Cabot (yes I read Princess Diaries series, sue me!).
Then there're bloggers who write not only in good perfect English but at the same time also funny and intelligently too. I aspire to become one.
However, I cannot stomach atrocious English (and BM too, for that matter) and you can find these kind of writings mostly in blogs. Although I applaud their effort to write in English, I simply can't tolerate repetitive errors which are mostly pretty basic (certain blogs spring to my mind as I write this .....teeeheeee) and even more unbearable is the fact that they think (the bloggers, I mean) they are so good already - its all over in their entries (them being so cool and all). I tell you if you want to raise your blood pressure fast, just read a couple of their entries .... its that bad.

And, tell me, why am I rambling on about this????????

Kita Makan Lagi!!!

2011-04-23T23:15:00.001+08:00

Dinner Malam Ini

1. Its been a while .... but life has been good. Alhamdulillah.

2. It has been rather hectic these past two weekends ...

3. Two weeks ago we found ourselves making a trip back kampung for my aunt's (mom's cousin) funeral. We also visited my cousin who lost his son, daughter in law and grandson in a car crash. Al-Fatihah.

4. And in between, we got to spend some time at my grandmother's place in Pengkalan where the uncles and aunties and my brother's family also converged (after the funeral). Food, as usual, was the main topic of conversation and that petang we pekena kuah durian. That's nice. Really really nice.

5. The night before, my cousin Meor came visiting with wife Rina and son Adi. They stayed for dinner consisting of Tomato Soup (prepared by Asma), Spaghetti Olio Aglio, Shepherd Pie and Banana Caramel Ice Cream. Read Here

6. Last weekend, the Kuala Dipang family came down with my deligfhtful mak mertua. And we had makan-makan on Sunday with almost the entire Cheras clan and one couple from the Sungai Buloh gang.

Occasion: Birthday Perempuan Comel No1.
Menu? Awesome nasi minyak and the lauk-pauk.
The Chef? errrr..... the birthday girl herself... (sorry but we need delicious food).

Another round of fun sudah semestinya. See The Photos

7. And this weekend has been pretty quiet.. so far. But of course, we decided to do makan-makan jugak.
So the menu tonight are Focacia Bread (resipi Chef Wan kata Perempuan Comel No 1), our signature (cheh!) Spaghetti Bologanise (resipi Noq) and for dessert... Agar-Agar Banana (resipi Mak Su, my aunt!!)

Jemput Makan! :-)

Harapan Arissa (for Japan)

2011-04-03T04:02:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, Arissa woke up early because she wanted to go to a Pray for Japan Charity Sale (to raise funds for the Japanese tsunami victims) at the One Academy in Sunway. Titled Harapan or Hope, the event is more like a manga-influenced artbook and exhibition project. And apparently Arissa has, through a Facebook, submitted her own artwork to support the event.

Once we arrived at the venue, we were greeted by this Wall of Hope. The organiser has printed out artworks sent in by those who are good at this sort of things and posted it up un the wall.... and visitors can bring home these artworks by simply donating RM5 for a piece. And voila..... Arissa's work also made the cut...

The ecstatic Arissa pointing up to her first ever published work (the organiser also compiled these works in a book too) and it's all for a noble cause.

The sisters came along to share Arissa's accomplishment.. hehehe

And of course Bapak and Mak are mighty proud of Arissa!!!!

Minta Pada Allah! Reminder to Self.

2011-04-03T02:48:00.000+08:00

Dapatkan Mesej Bergambar di Sini

March 2011 In A Flash

2011-03-31T01:12:00.000+08:00

1. I'm officially very very old. I was down with fever ( complete with incessant coughing and running nose) and it took me like forever to recover. It has been almost three weekends and I'm still feeling lethargic somewhat. Definitely the old age.

2. And when I'm sick I become extra lazy (and I neglect this space, obviously). Not good.

3. But in between all these drowsiness and sickness, I still made the time to attend my cousin's kenduri aqiqah for her latest grandson in early March (or was it in Feb?) and a wedding of another cousin's son in Ampang. Nice. Especially the nasi mendi.

4. And we also found time to watch I Am No. Four. We enjoyed it!

5. And last weekend, we also made our way to my BIL's place in Sg Buloh and am happy to note that our nephew Shibli is now up and walking. Almost back to his old self. Alhamdulillah!

6. On the same day, the two daughters, Alia and Asma attended a Yayasan Salam's beginners' workshop where they took part in some community work by cleaning up a river somewhere in Gombak. That's way cool!

The girls (extreme left) and others during some briefing session

Asma

Alia

The river that they cleaned up... doesn't look like a river, though!

7. Apart from all these happenings (how exciting right?), there's really nothing much going on in this household. And yes, I still hate maths.
8. And oh no, Perempuan Comel No 1 (those who follow my Facebook would know that's the wife) is now down with a fever. Hope she gets well soon!

Amazing Japanese

2011-03-14T16:29:00.013+08:00

I have never been a fan of anything Japanese, although my three daughters, for some reasons, love the country and its culture, pop and otherwise! But still the calamity suffered by Japan stunned us all. Understandably, they (the girls, I mean) are more affected by the destruction brought about by the recent earthquake and tsunami. Who wouldn’t, right?

And they have tweeted, blogged and followed the development in Japan rather religiously. In fact, for the past three days or so, like in other household the world over, we have been glued to the TV as we watched the devastation in horror. Our prayers go out to all those affected.

On that note, the Japanese people have apparently been very open on Twitter about their experiences following the quake. The following tweets (which I found on Facebook and have been duly translated) of what moved them and touched them during these very trying times are incredibly heart-warming. Read on... (and while we are at it, we Malaysians seriously should learn a thing or two from these stories)

#tweetone: At a supermarket where everything was scattered everywhere over the floors, shoppers helped picking them up and putting them back neatly on the shelves before quietly moving into the line to wait to pay for them.

#tweetone: On the totally jam-packed first train after the quake, an elderly man gave up his seat for a pregnant woman.

#tweetone: It was freezing and bus was taking ages to arrive. One person left the queue to run to a nearby pharmacy. He bought heating pads and gave one to everyone in the queue!

#tweetone: It was cold and I was getting very weary waiting forever for the train to come. Some homeless people saw me, gave me some of their own cardboard boxes and saying “you’ll be warmer if you sit on these!” I have always walked by homeless people pretending I didn’t see them, and yet here they were offering me warmth.

#tweetone: I see people standing in line, not pushing or shoving to get onto the Yamanote Line (probably the busiest line in central Tokyo), even at a time like this!

#tweetone: There was a small bread shop on the street I take to go to school. It has long been out of business. But last night, I saw the old lady of the shop giving people her handmade bread for free. It was a heart-warming sight.

#tweetone: I just came back safely from the supermarket! Man, I was so touched at how everyone there was mindful of others, buying only as much as they needed and leaving the rest for the people behind them.

#tweetone: Japan is really something! Yesterday, not a single traffic light was functioning in Gotenba City. But drivers knew to take turns at intersections and give way to others when needed. Local people were using flags to direct traffic at intersections. I drove for 9 hours but never saw a single car trying to get in front of another. Every single driver on the road contributed to the traffic situation and as a result there was no confusion at all

#tweetone: I spoke with an old taxi driver and some elderly staff at the train stations. All of them had been working non-stop and had not been able to go home for a long time. They were visibly very tired, but never once did they show any sign of impatience; they were gentle and very caring. They told me “… because all of us are in this together.”

#tweetone: I was impressed and touched by the actions of my neighbor’s 13-year-old-boy. He was home alone when the earthquake hit. But instead of hiding, as soon as the earthquake quieted down, he jumped on his bicycle and rode around the block repeatedly shouting at the top of his voice, “Is everyone alright? Is everyone okay?” At the time, there were only women and children and the elderly in the homes. I cannot describe how comforting it was just to hear a strong voice asking if I was okay. Thank you!

#tweetone: I went out last night to help some friends who were volunteering as security personnel between Machida City and Sagami Ohno City. I saw total strangers, both young and old, helping each other along everywhere I turned and was heartened with an overwhelming feeling of encouragement. I was so touched I hid behind the toilets and cried.

#tweetone: I’ve been walking for many hours now. I’m touched at how everywhere I turn, there are shops open with people shouting “Please use our bathroom!” or “Please rest here!” There are also office buildings where people with access to information were voluntarily shouting out helpful tips, like “**** line is now operational

#tweetone: My husband finally got home very late last night after walking for 4 hours. He told me he felt like giving up at around Akabane, when an elderly man who was going around handing out free coffee saw him, gave him a steaming cup and said, “You must be tired and cold. Here, have some coffee!” My husband told me that it was because of this elderly man that he found the will and strength to continue walking.

#tweetone: At Osaka I saw a LONG line of people waiting to give blood at the blood donation center. This is the first time I have seen such a queue of selfless people waiting patiently in line just to give. It was a moving sight!

#tweetone: A goth youth with white hair and body piercings walked into my store and shoved several hundred dollars (several tens of thousands of yen) into the disaster relief fund donation box. As he walked out, we heard him saying to his buddies, “I mean, we can buy those games anytime!” At that, we all opened our wallets and put our money into the donation box. Really, you cannot judge people by their appearances.

#tweetone: I too saw the guy handing out free rice balls and miso soup on the way back from Akihabara. I was on my bicycle so I told him, “I’m okay, please give it to other people!” On hindsight, I should have taken one … they looked absolutely delicious!!

Bumi Sudah Tua!

Archie!

2011-03-14T14:06:00.003+08:00

I don't really remember how we had gotten hold of Archie Comics in rural Temoh when we were young (perhaps it was through my aunties and uncles' collection at my grandfather's place in Pengkalan - yes that must be it!). Because of that, I kind of grew up reading those delightful American teenage comics. Archie Andrews and gang ~~Sabrina~~ oops Veronica, Betty, Jughead became my constant 'friends' then. They still are.

Apparently, since 2007, Archie Comics started to make four-part "new look" series, which really look ... urm..."new". And yesterday, while poking around Book Xcess in Amcorp Mall with Alia and Asma, we stumbled upon the this Archie's Goodbye Forever series. I bought it immediately, of course!

Yeay!

For the love of train rides....

2011-02-21T01:51:00.008+08:00

I am no train enthusiast nor I’m a train hobbyist (apparently there are those kinds of people out there) but I do have some sort of affection towards… err… trains.

I guess this fascination with trains can be attributed to the fact that I grew up in a house that’s located next to a railway track. Yes, my home (or rather my parent’s) in Temoh is just about 50-60 metres from the railway track.

I remember guests who stayed overnight at our place, more often than not, would have their sleep interrupted quite constantly when night trains rumbled on nearby. And I must say, the thundering sound of the trains can be rather overwhelming especially in the dead silence of the night. As for us, well, we have embraced the trains whole heartedly that it does not affect us one bit.

My mother told us that once, small town Temoh was thriving once because it has a railway station and she herself travelled daily on the train to Teluk Anson (now Intan) to attend her secondary school (Teluk Intan’s Convent School). That was in the 50s.

And as a child, one of my greatest desires then was to take a ride on those trains. I remember wanting so much to get on a train especially when several relatives from KL would do so and arrived to tell stories about their train ride. (And usually, if we knew someone would be coming over, we would wait by the track just to wave to them – we did this quite often).

I believe my first train ride finally happened when I was in Standard Two and it was a trip to the grand city of KL. If I’m not mistaken, the reason for going to KL then was to send off my uncle Ayah Chu, who’s about to further his study in the UK. Fortunately, my late father decided that maybe my brother and I could go on to KL (my two younger brothers, mother and him who would followed soon by car later) first by train. We were, understandably, overjoyed. So with my young and single aunt Wan Chu acting as chaperone, we boarded the train in Ipoh and began our long ride to KL. It was a Mel Malam (Night Mail) and we left Ipoh around 10pm. And we arrived in KL early the next morning. Punya la jauh……

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to ride on the trains a few more times. Some became quite memorable rides – like the ones in 1982 when we were in KL and my father phoned asking us (I was spending my school holidays at my aunt's place then) to get on the earliest train out of KL as his best friend (my future father in law) had passed on – it was sombre ride indeed; or the first train ride back kampong with two of my college mates (I’m sorry but their names escape me) in 1984 for my very first term break – the train was so crowded that I have to stand all the way back to Kampar!!!

Today, I still occasionally take a ride on the train via KTM Komuter especially on days when I have meetings in and around KL Sentral. I find it is much easier (no need to stress out braving the jam and looking for parking) and cheaper. But of course, on the downside, I don’t fancy riding in one during peak hours when all the cars are packed to the brim.

Anyway yesterday, the wife and I did a train ride again when we balik kampong for a day. And what a nostalgic and emotional day it was!

We started our journey very early. Left home at 4.30am and drove to KL Sentral. It was good driving in KL when the roads are deserted. Anyway, by 5.30am, we are securely seated in the train. At 5.30am on the dot, the KL-Ipoh shuttle service started its journey.

It was an uneventful journey as we were mostly asleep throughout the journey. But unlike many years ago, we arrived in Kampar before 8am. Whoa.... that's fast, considering the last time I took a train ride from KL to Kampar, it took me at least 4 to 5 hours. There's our train leaving the station for Ipoh after depositing us two and one other youngster in Kampar.

I so wanted to take a picture of my home in Temoh during the trip. On the way over, I was already aiming my camera soon after we left Tapah Road station. A few minutes later, Yan informed that we just passed by the house. Of course, I don't believe her because I didn't see the usual landmarks and all and I think I should know how the house look like, kan? But before I knew it, we are already arriving in Kampar. What???!!! Where did the house go???? So on the way back, I was more determined to capture the house on my camera and was so ever ready even before we boarded the train and I nearly missed it again. That's the house, now hidden behind those rambutan trees. If you look carefully, you could see my parent's bedroom window on the left of the pix.

Aaah, that's us all ready to board the train back to our daughters and home in Subang Jaya. The picture looks nicer because this was taken by our niece Nurul who uses camera mahai. Thanks Nurul. :-)

A Family That Eats Together Stays Together…

2011-02-14T00:26:00.005+08:00

I can’t remember where I heard this quote first. But I like it. A lot. It essentially sums up what food means to me. That's why it is important for the wife and I to have meals together with the kids everyday. I believe that enjoying meals together brings the family closer and brings moments of joy. True

And it helps if you are blessed , like me, with a wife who’s an amazingly great cook. Despite the undesired effects it does to my waistline (do I have one anymore????), I wouldn’t trade this life with anything else. For that, I’m forever grateful. Alhamdulillah.

Over the weekend, the wife took the trouble to prepare these dishes… aren’t we lucky???

This is Buttermilk Chicken with fries, rice and salad which we had on Friday.

As for lunch on Sunday, we've come back to Malaysia with this delightful Ayam Percik and Kerabu. Makan sampai tak bernafas.

And then, in between all those stuff she's doing online, she even baked these cupcakes... tatau apa nama (but yang di atas tu ada fresh blueberry which we picked up at Mydin earlier in the morning)

Tadaaa.... (let's do this again next weekend ya)

Rules of Life

2011-02-11T15:37:00.001+08:00

This arrived in my inbox recently (thanks Kak Ella). Do read.

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this! Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2 : The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school.. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

All Quiet On The USJ Front!

2011-02-05T08:14:00.006+08:00

If you’re like many of us who live in a big city like KL, chances are that you have made peace with the the ever notorious traffic jam. Yes, you may still not like it (the traffic jam, I mean) but you’ve learned to accept it as part of your existence here. However, having said that, I still consider getting stuck in massive traffic jams a huge pain in the backside – not so much because they’re long, more so because it messes with my head and provides the unnecessary stress. Thank God for the car stereo!

And for some strange reason, no matter how much I think about it logically, illogically, , or by purely taking a chance – I constantly 90% of the time without fail – manage to pick the lane of traffic that is going slowly than a disabled snail on a wheelchair with arthritis. Especially so if I’m in great rush! The story of my life. Sigh.

Which brings us to long festive holidays. Aha! That’s the time when the traffic eases up considerably but not so much as in 15 years ago. I remembered once many years ago, I came back to work on the second day of a Chinese New Yea and drove to Lucky Garden, Bangsar and there were not a single soul around (trust me, it was like me becoming Will Smith in I Am Legend… heh)

That’s why, I love to spend the long holidays at home. Like the current CNY. And yesterday, as I went to pick up Alia from her friend’s CNY gathering, we went bonkers driving around USJ yang sunyi sepi at 4.30pm. Yeayyyyyy!

This is USJ Taipan. Second Day CNY. Come...bergolek-golek di jalanan.

How to enjoy long leave ... at home!!!!

2011-02-03T20:28:00.006+08:00

Spending a long holiday (like this CNY week) at home can be boring for many but not this family... chewah... because we love doing absolutely nothing together. We love to just chill out together (well, if the girls are bored, they are not telling because I forbid them to utter those B word... see I'm such a gila kuasa manusia!!) and talk. And we talk about everything... from the impending Oscars, the floods and the Egypt uprising. We also sleep, eat, watch movies, and read... a lot too. And once in a while we go out for a drive (in this case, enjoying the empty roads as well) and lepak at our new favourite mamak's. There were never dull moments here in this household, I tell you!

And then to make it even better, the wifey cook delicious meal like this one last night: -

A Tomato Penne served with cheese sausage and salad. Aaaah... marvellous.!!

and then after the dinner... we prepared the tidbits, butterscotch ice blended and a tub of cookie and cream ice cream ready for a movie marathon...

Movies watched so far: The King' Speech, The Fighter, Megaminds, Wizard of Oz, The Tourist, Easy A and Catch Me If You Can.

Coming right up: Unstoppable, Harry Potter - The Deathly Hallows Part 1, The Social Network and Little Voice.

And then, there's the NCIS marathon on 710. And The Story of Edgar Sawtelle for me to finish. And most importantly, work from office, due first thing next Monday.

Memang tak sempat nak rasa boring...

Support The Egyptian People. Help the Flood Victims

2011-02-03T07:44:00.005+08:00

Sometimes we see things in the media and wonder how we can really help. As milllions protest in the streets, the Egyptian government shut down the interenet and throttled the phone and sms networks.Reports are in that the internet is back and the mood is electric, but still no democracy! With all of our help, Egyptians and others in the region will be able to jump their government's firewalls and anonymously access these online and mobile communications platforms. There are several ways that you can helpthem to do this:

1. If you have some tech skills, donate your unused bandwidth and IP address with the Tor anti-censorship tool, (If you're in Egypt download Tor here: www.torproject.org)

2. Now that the internet is back, Access is configuring servers that will help people reach any blocked sites like Twitter, Facebook, Al Jazeera and Gmail (we are currrently testing as to what is still blocked). Donate to help keep the protest movement alive and 100% of your donation will go to supporting those behind the firewall.

3. Support Egyptians, Tunisians, and others behind the firewall by joining Access' Global Movement for Digital Freedom. We need to work together to keep the internet open beyond this current crisis.

For more details go to www.accessnow.org.

Closer to home, our doa also go out to those hit by the floods in Johor, NS and Melaka. Those who want to help... there's DIGI Flood Relief Drive. You can donate mats, blankets, and food stuff. Send in your donations to DG centres in SS2 PJ, Solaris, Mont Kiara, and Bukit Tinggi, Klang, 2-6 Feb, 10am-3pm.

Reminder to self and the family: In times like this, be grateful to Allah SWT for its blessings. Alhamdulillah

Kes berangan tak sudah

2011-02-01T02:36:00.010+08:00

It was a cold rainy Sunday. What better way to spend a weekend than at home with the family. We slept late, of course... and then the girls decided to have an afternoon English Tea. So out came the teapot, the cup and saucer, the sugar and the milk Saved for the macaroons, the rest were home-made. We certainly had a glorious tete-a-tete session complete with our put-on British accent (or so we thought). And then we watched The King's Speech again. You can't get more English than that, can you?

That, my dear readers, was how our berangan tak sudah day went by. Delightful!

Oh no! Its Monday again!!!

2011-01-31T00:58:00.002+08:00

Hmmm, let's see what I have to do later today. Busy betul la duduk kat sini.

Team Building: What a Memory

2011-01-29T23:56:00.004+08:00

The Malaysian Business team

It's a given that I don't do outdoor. So it was with much trepidation that I went for the office's team building exercise held in PD a week ago. The last time I was required to attend such an event was like 29 years ago (yes two nine years ago!!!) when I had to represent my school to some GPMS' kursus kepimpinan. I remembered then that my friends and I took a bus to Kuala Kangsar's Clifford school and stayed there for three nights.... only thing that I did not participated in any activities then as I was down with a high fever once I reached the school. So I was bed ridden throughout my stay there... how swell kan?

Anyway, back to the recent team building in PD... I found it fascinating and I actually had loads of fun. Even the outdoor activities were delightfully exciting. Of course, there's the obligatory tug-of-war where my service (apparently I was deemed a cargo ship.. hahah!!) was very much sought after. And to make it more interesting, a company dinner was held as well and I really enjoyed the evening. But the best thing about the whole thing was that it offered me a chance to get to know my work colleagues a little bit more.

It was a blast. Thanks BP!

Its 2011!

2011-01-06T18:56:00.004+08:00

Time don't really flies anymore... it zooms past us at lightning speed, yes? And here we are in 2011. And I have decided ... err.... resolved (its a better word, considering) to blog more this year. I intend to preserve many more memories, no matter how small or mundane it may be to others. Because this is where I want to go back to reflect and re-live the joy many years down the road. InsyaAllah.

So what's up this early in 2011?

One thing for sure, the three girls are back to school and the good news is all are in the morning session.... legaaaa! No more braving the evening traffic jams to reach school before darkness....

Anyways, here are the girls just after they reached home on the first day of school in 2011. Hujan lebat woooo... And as they entered the house.. they were greeted by the following sight below..

kunun2 merajuk... kunun2 boringla kot sebab tak da sapa kawan main in the morning. Yeah right!!

My First Book!

2010-12-11T18:23:00.004+08:00

Allow me to be self-indulgent with this post. You see, I've always wanted to have my name etched on the cover of a book. I've always wanted to write a book. I remembered telling my aunt Mak Kecik (she's the closest aunt then) when I was in my early teen that I want to become a writer when I grow up. I believed she still remember what I've said all those years ago and she wasn't one bit surprised when I ended up being a reporter about 20 years ago.

But, being a procrastinator tegar that I am, I've never got around to realise my dream of having my name up there along with my favourites JD Salinger (berangan kan?), Jeffrey Archer, Pramoedya Anantoer and more recently Khalid Hosseini, Feisal Tehrani and of course Rick Riordan. Yes, I have dreamed of becoming world famous fiction writer for the longest time. Alas, I keep on dreaming....

Until a couple of months ago when my boss proposed that I took up the "challenge" to take on the project of writing a coffee table book for the Proton Vendors Association (Proton as in the car maker, ya). The association has approached my company Berita Publishing to produce the book for them. Well, not exactly the fiction that I so wanted to write but I figure this was a good opportunity to get the ball rolling. So I agreed. Little did I know that it would be a one hell of a ride as the book this proportion normally would take at least six months to publish. But I did it in two freaking months. Let's not dwell on the details nor should I complain about its quality (of course I would like to have more time to make it more ... err... better).

Suffice to say that for two months, my life revolved around the book and only the book. It was a challenged all right but at one point I wanted to even give up. But the boss Charles Raj and my colleagues spur me on. For that I'm forever thankful. I also have to thank Irwan and Hazel for having to endure my endless rant.

But mostly I have to thank the wife Azian and my three kids Alia, Asma and Arissa for their immense support throughout. They too have had helped along the way and I cannot imagine having to do this book without them. And to Mak too for her doa.

And Alhamdulillah, the book came out a week ago and was launched by the former Prime Minister Tun M at a dinner a few nights ago. Although still having that feeling that more can and should be done, I too was feeling profoundly proud when the book "PVA- The Journey Continues" was revealed that night. And personally I do hope my journey to finally write a fiction will kick off too soon ... very soon. So my journey continues...

Two days of de-stressing myself!!!!

2010-10-24T19:25:00.008+08:00

Things have been rather daunting at work this past week and when Saturday rolled by, the car decided that it too needed a visit to the mechanics. Alahai. Yeah, that's life - full of ups and downs.

Not that I'm complaining for life has been good to me and my family. Alhamdulillah. So (I guess it came with age) I decided to de-stress by doing something fun (and stupid la jugak on my part). I challenged the wife to a cook off... a duel I was destined to lose lah. But I was very taken up by that Top Chef show currently on 702. So after parted with a few hundreds of RM at the car workshop, we (the wife and I) rushed through USJ Taipan buying stuff and ingredients for our 'Top Chef' contest. And it's decided that the cook off will be based on bread and mince meat. Ambitious sungguh, babe!

Once home, we went straight to the kitchen to start the competition.. ya bukan main lagi. And we roped in my daughters to act as judges (with my mom making a guest judge appearance hahahaha).

It was real fun as I was totally into the whole reality TV mode and I was running around the kitchen (a first) trying to emulate those contestants in the real Top Chef. Berangan tak sudah lah kaedahnya. And to make it even more seronok I decided to be the bad guy and let me tell you... oh it was such a joy trying to sabotage my competition (you know hide her stuff and all and trash talked my way around trying to rile her up so that she hilang fokus).

But in the end, we ended up with two dishes that's not too bad. Not bad at all!!! Now we present you our creation:

This from the wife... Kacang Phool with French Bread served with onion and green chillies with caramelised tomato salad.

And this from me... my signature (kunun2nya) spicy ginger spaghetti bolognaise served with garlic bread. True winner.. chewah!

And then on Sunday pulak, as I felt I need more de-stress session, the wife and I drove over to the Summit USj which is like 5 minutes away from home to watch Red, starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban and the delightful Mary Loiuse Parker.

Its a action comedy flick that we found enduring and funny (although the critics in the US slams the movie - but who cares , man... we were thoroughly entertained.)

The movie is about Willis, Freeman, the deliciously funny Malkovich and Mirren playing ex CIA operatives in RED, which stands for Retired Extremely Dangerous, who have to come out of retirement after leaked government secrets makes them all targets for assassins. Parker plays Willis' love interest.

It was fun good old action comedy movie ( a bit of a road trip movie pun jugak as it took you to several US cities) and is devoid of the usual 3D related technology (now so prevalent in big blockbusters). Great movie for someone who needs a break from pressure cooker life.

Okay, now I'm all ready to go back to work!

Eid@Mior

2010-09-09T01:29:00.000+08:00

Another boy joins us!!!

2010-09-03T22:15:00.004+08:00

Its a joyous Ramadan for Keluarga Haji Mior Mahmud extended family as we welcome the latest addition to the clan when Yone gave birth to a 3.2kg baby boy (cute ya amat!) on 3.9.2010. In Penang. It's grandson number three to my uncle Ayah Anjang and Wan, apparently joining Wan Chu's club of three cucu lelaki. Tahniah Yone and hubby Azri. And the new baby nephew celebrates his birthday with Mi Yong aka Anom and second cousin Azam.

Yeay!!

(pix was "stolen" from the proud father's FB, naturally)

Sepuluh Adab Puasa... peringatan untuk diri sendiri..

2010-08-10T01:45:00.000+08:00

Setiap orang yang mengerjakan puasa perlu mematuhi beberapa peraturan dan adab yang akan menyempurnakan ibadah tersebut, di antara yang terpenting :

1. Menjaga lidahnya daripada berdusta, mengumpat dan mencampuri urusan orang lain yang tiada kena mengena dengannya.

2. Memelihara mata dan telinga daripada melihat dan mendengar perkara yang dilarang oleh Syarak dan perkara yang sia-sia.

3. Mengawal perutnya daripada merasai makanan dan minuman yang haram atau mengandungi unsur syubhat, ter utama ketika berbuka dan berusaha sedaya upaya mungkin untuk menghasilkan pemakanan yang halal lagi bersih.

Ulama silam pernah berpesan: ``Apabila kamu berpuasa, maka perhatikanlah apa yang akan dijadikan makanan berbukamu dan di manakah kamu akan berbuka?'' Ia adalah panduan yang terbaik bagi mengawasi diri daripada terjebak dengan unsur-unsur makanan yang tidak halal.

4. Berusaha menjaga kesemua pancaindera dan anggota tubuh badan daripada mendekati atau melakukan maksiat dan perkara sia-sia. Dengan demikian ibadah puasanya akan suci dan sempurna.

Terdapat ramai yang memenatkan diri dengan berlapar dan berdahaga, membiarkan diri terdorong kepada perlakuan dosa dan noda, kerana itu puasanya rosak dan binasa dan keletihannya tidaklah berbaloi sebagaimana maksud sabda Junjungan s.a.w.: Ramai yang berpuasa tidak mendapat ganjaran daripada puasanya melainkan lapar dan dahaga! (An-Nasai)

Meninggalkan maksiat menjadi kewajipan kepada seluruh orang Islam sama ada mereka sedang puasa atau tidak, apatah lagi bagi yang berpuasa, ia lebih dituntut dan diwajibkan.

Sabda Rasulullah s.a.w. : Puasa itu adalah `perisai', sekiranya seseorang dari kalangan kamu sedang berpuasa janganlah dia bercakap kotor, melakukan keburukan dan berbuat bodoh. Jika ada orang lain yang mengejinya atau cuba memeranginya, maka hendaklah dia katakan kepada orang itu : Saya sedang berpuasa. (Riwayat Bukhari dan Muslim)

5. Janganlah membanyakkan tidur pada siang harinya dan makan pada malamnya, bahkan bersederhanalah pada kedua-duanya bagi menyelami keperitan lapar dan dahaga. Dengan demikian sanubarinya akan terkawal, keinginan nafsunya akan berkurangan, hatinya ceria. Itulah rahsia dan intipati puasa yang perlu dicapai.

6. Jauhkan diri daripada mengikut dorongan nafsu ketika berbuka dengan beraneka jenis makanan yang lazat-lazat. Sebaik-baiknya adat makannya sama sahaja pada bulan puasa dan bulan-bulan yang lain.

Penggembelingan diri di dalam mengurangkan tuntutan jasmani dan keinginan perasaan, memberikan kesan positif terhadap kecerahan hati nurani yang amat dituntut, terutama pada bulan Ramadan.

Mereka yang menjadikan keinginan nafsu perut sebagai tunggangan akal mereka ketika berbuka yang menyalahi kebiasaan pada bulan-bulan lain, sebenarnya terpedaya dengan pujukan iblis dan rayuannya yang bertujuan menghilangkan barakah (berkat) ibadah puasa mereka, nikmat limpahan ketenangan daripada Allah s.w.t., kekhusyukan diri ketika munajat dan berzikir kepada-Nya.

Sepatutnya orang yang berpuasa mengurangkan kadar pemakanannya sehingga terserlah kesan puasa itu pada dirinya. Kekenyangan adalah punca kelalaian, kealpaan, keras hati dan malas melakukan ketaatan kepada Allah s.w.t.

Sabdanya : Takungan jelik yang dipenuhkan oleh manusia adalah perutnya, memadailah baginya beberapa suapan yang dapat meneguhkan tulang belakangnya. Jika dia enggan, maka berikanlah sepertiga (bahagian perutnya) untuk makanan, sepertiga kedua untuk minuman dan sepertiga terakhir bagi pernafasannya (Riwayat Ahmad dan Tirmizi).

Terdapat ulama yang mengungkapkan kata-kata berikut: ``Sekiranya perutmu kenyang, anggota-anggota lain akan lapar (akan menurut turutan nafsu), tetapi sekiranya perutmu lapar kesemua anggotamu akan kenyang.''

As-Salaf as-Soleh (mereka yang terdahulu) mengurangkan perkara kebiasaan dan dorongan diri serta memperbanyakkan amal ibadat pada bulan Ramadan secara khusus, bahkan itulah adat mereka sepanjang masa.

7. Tidak menyibukkan diri dengan urusan duniawi pada bulan Ramadan ini, bahkan mengambil kesempatan yang ada untuk beribadat kepada Allah dan mengingati-Nya sebaik mungkin. Justeru itu dia tidak melakukan perkara duniawi melainkan sekadar keperluan hariannya atau kepada mereka yang berada di bawah tanggungannya.

Demikian yang selayaknya dilakukan pada bulan Ramadan yang mulia ini, sama seperti pada hari Jumaat yang sepatutnya dikhususkan bagi amalan akhiratnya.

8. Mempraktikkan amalan sunah seperti segera berbuka apabila masuk waktunya, berbuka dengan buah tamar (kurma) dan jika ia tiada memadailah dengan segelas air serta melambatkan makan sahur.

Nabi s.a.w. berbuka dahulu sebelum Baginda mengerjakan solat Maghrib.

Sabdanya : Umatku sentiasa berada di dalam keadaan baik (berkat) selama mana mereka mempercepatkan berbuka (apabila masuk waktunya) dan melambatkan makan sahur. (Riwaya Ahmad, Bukhari dan Mus-lim).

9. Menyediakan makanan berbuka kepada orang yang berpuasa sekalipun dengan beberapa biji tamar atau segelas air. Sabda Baginda s.a.w. : Sesiapa yang menyediakan makanan berbuka bagi orang yang berpuasa, baginya ganjaran seumpama pahala bagi orang yang berpuasa, tanpa mengurangi sedikitpun pahalanya (orang yang berpuasa). (Riwayat Baihaqi dan ibnu Khuzaimah).

10.Memenuhi malamnya dengan amalan sunat seperti solat tarawih, witir dan sebagainya. Adalah dinasihatkan kepada para imam supaya tidak mempercepatkan solat tarawihnya seperti mana amalan kebiasaan sebahagian besar mereka di masjid dan surau.

Perbuatan tersebut menjejaskan mutu ibadah solat tarawih mereka kerana meninggalkan `wajib' solat tersebut seperti, meninggalkan tumakninah semasa rukuk dan sujud, mencacatkan bacaan al-Fatihah sebagaimana sepatutnya lantaran ingin cepat dalam mengejar waktu sehingga meninggalkan makmum di belakang tertinggal rukun-rukun penting dalam solatnya.

Amalan tarawih seperti itu menjadi tidak sempurna dan berkurangan pahalanya kerana itu berwaspadalah terhadap cara demikian dengan kembali mengamalkan ibadah solat seperti pada waktu-waktu lain, menyempurnakan qiyam, bacaan al-Fatihah, rukuk, sujud, khusyuk, hadir hati dan semua peradaban solat dan rukunnya.

Bagi makmum pula disyorkan supaya sentiasa bersama imamnya dalam mengerjakan solat tarawih itu sehinggalah selesai sama ada sebanyak 20 rakaat atau pun 8 rakaat.

Sabda nabi s.a.w. : Apabila seseorang menunaikan solat bersama imamnya sehinggalah imam itu (selesai dan) beredar, dikirakan untuknya (makmum) pahala qiyam semalaman. (An-Nasai).

- Petikan Nasihat Agama dan Wasiat Iman tulisan al-Habib Abdullah bin Alwi al-Haddad.

Facebook oooh Facebook!!!

2010-08-09T18:24:00.003+08:00

Entah apa lah tarikannya, Facebook kini menjadi mainan ramai orang. Contohnya, sudah ramai ahli keluarga sendiri yang dulu buta komputer, kini berfacebook.

Saya sendiri tidak terkecuali. Pantang membuka komputer, pasti gatal tangan untuk klik ke laman Facebook. Malah saban hari juga saya menanam azam untuk tidak membuka Facebook untuk hari itu, Dan sepertimana azam untuk menguruskan badan, azam untuk tidak berfacebook juga tinggal azam semata-mata.

Terkadang terdetik juga di hati untuk deactivate akaun FB namun sayang pulak... di sinilah saya dapat mengetahui cerita-cerita terkini sahabat handai serta kaum keluarga tanpa perlu menelefon ataupun berjumpa bersemuka.

Tapi sungguh akhir-akhir ini saya agak jemu sudah dengan Facebook. Dulu memang rajin amat untuk menulis status di Facebook. Tetapi kini sudah berkurang amat minat yang satu ini. Mungkin sudah kurang ilham. Dulu juga saya sibuk bermain Fishville di Facebook (mujur tidak berFarmville yang lebih popular itu), tapi itu juga sudah saya tinggalkan.

Jadinya sekarang ini masa di Facebook banyak digunakan membaca dan melihat profail2 serta status dan foto kawan-kawan yang masih rajin 'mengupdate". Sekali-kala saya juga meninggalkan jejak komen di wall mereka.

Apapun, beberapa bulan yang lalu saya mula berjaya menjejaki lebih ramai rakan-rakan sekolah yang sudah hampir 30 tahun hilang tanpa berita. Sungguh paling seronok bila dapat berbual bicara dengan rakan-rakan lama ini. Facebook rocks!

Dan satu lagi saya juga amat senang membaca status2 berupa nasihat serta peringatan terutamanya dari beberapa sahabat yang berjawatan Ustaz. Ada juga status dan komen yang kelakar secara berhemah...

Namun Facebook juga tidak kurang dengan "anasir-anasir" kurang enak... ramai sungguh yang meninggal komen kurang ajar, ramai sungguh yang suka bermegah-megah dan ramai sungguh yang mengeluh tidak berhenti-henti. Ish! sungguh tidak larat membacanya. Tetapi kadang-kadang terfikir juga, mungkin status saya ada kala juga berbaur sedemikian rupa. Kalau begitu, saya mohon maaf ya, tidak sengaja! Oh ya, spam yang datang hadir juga acap kali merimaskan.

Dan kini saya tertanya-tanya pula... apakah motif tulisan blog kali ini? Hahahahahahah!

Introducing Ariel

2010-07-29T08:25:00.013+08:00

Hello. My name is Ariel (it used to be Bulat but somehow my new masters decided to rename me). Anyway, I’m one year old. I used to stay in Bukit Jalil until two months ago (or was it three months?). Now I lived with a family of five in USJ, Subang Jaya. I don’t really know why these people adopt me. Maybe they wanted “someone” to provide comic relief for them (as whenever I did something that’s remotely funny, they’ll laughed their heads off!)

Sometimes, I just need to put on my cutest face, and they would go “auwwwwwww”!!!! Pelik la humans ni!

Cute la sangat kan..

But having said that, I must say living here, now, is okay. They, the masters, feed me well. I can’t possibly ask for more, right? But it can be boring too – especially, for some reasons, they don’t allow me to step outside of the house.

that's me... bosan ya amat!

So, I try to sneak out whenever possible, especially when they are opening the doors to go outside. But more often than not, they manage to stop me from doing so. On those occasions when I managed to get out, they would usually scream in horror, as if something bad just occurred. Strange people, they are. For goodness sake, I only wanted to take a bit of fresh air and roll around outside. (okay, maybe find a boyfriend too la… but don’t tell them!)

So most of the time, I’m cooped up in the house. And most of the time, its up to me to amuse myself. Tough.

...So I roam around looking for things to do or some insects to play with...

.. or I play with plastic bags - my favourite thing in the whole wide world. It doesn't matter how large, how small, or how full the plastic bag is, it is mine! If I cannot fit my entire body into the box, then I use whatever part of my body that fits to assume ownership of the said plastic bag. (I have used one or two paws, my head, or even just my tail to gain entry and each works equally well for a truly restful sleep.)

or if there's really nothing else to do, I usually take a nap.. here's me at my favourite napping place...

..me sleeping some more....

And let me tell you about my masters (bodek sikit la)... there are five of them in the family...

The first one is the only male in da house... they call him Bapak (although one person call him abang, I have to check why). I'm guessing that this person is rather afraid of me... as he hardly pick me up. He will only pat me or tickle me occassionally. But I know he's harmless.

Then there's this lady they call Mak (or Yan as the only male call her... again I have to check why is this so). She's hillarious, I tell you. And she's motherly too... so that's why I always like to snug up to her especially when she starts to sit in front of her PC. (like above....). She always laugh at the slightest antic that I make.

Then there's this girl call Alia. I am rather perplex as she's the only one the house who doesn't have a room mate. Yes, she has a room all to herself. I suppose I was brought in to be her new roommate (and I like her room too as I can while away by the window and look at all the yummy birds outside). But she always close and lock her room making it so susah for me to enter. How la like this? I wanna be your roommate, okay?

Next is Asma. She's hillarious too. The other day I caught a cicak and I was so proud of my self and brought it to her to show off la. And she had a major freak out moment then and there. Heh. Strange creature this girl!!

And finally, the youngest of them all is Arissa. She's the closest to me. And she likes to dress me up like the pix above. I look ugly, right? And she likes to play plastic bags with me too. In my book, that's a cool person.

Oh yes, there's one other person at home currently. I'm guessing she's the mother of Mak. I call her Opah. She's a gracious lady and always talk to me like I'm a baby. She's funny too. She always got my name wrong... sometimes she calls me May (or something like that la) and sometimes sesuka hati sahaja she calls me Danial and Aidill(!!!@#$$%%???). Euwww that's boys' name!!!!!

Shout! Absolutely fetching!

2010-07-16T17:00:00.005+08:00

The Stars: The delightful Tisha, Shaney, Ning, Nikki, Tria and Joanna.

Its a good thing that I have absolutely no idea what Shout! The Mod Musical is all about when we went to watch it on the opening night at KL Pac last evening. I was rather busy earlier in the day so much so I had forgotten to Google the musical, as I usually do if I’m to watch a movie or go for a show.

And I’m glad I didn’t (Google it, I mean) as what happened in the end was a real super pleasant surprise. Shout! The Mod Musical is indeed an excellent off-broadway show.

The musical was Broadway Academy’s debut presentation, featuring golden songs from yesteryear. Apparently, BA is the first Malaysian company granted professional licence to produce Broadway musicals from New York with homegrown casts.

Set in Britain, the musical is about modern magazine Shout!, which focuses on 1960s music, fashion and liberation. It revolves around five girls – homebody Orange Girl (brilliantly played by Ning Baizura), slutty Green Girl (delightfully funny Tria Aziz), awkward Red Girl (versatile Shanel Shanty James), icy but beautiful Blue Girl (the classy Tisha Zarina) and loud American Yellow Girl (fabulous Nikki Palikat).

With a shimmy and a shake, the girls (in patent leather high boots, tight skirts and psychedelic outfits from the 60s) belted out hit songs from that era such as To Sir With Love (Lulu), Downtown (Petula Clark), Diamonds Are Forever (Shirley Bassey), Wishin’ And Hopin’ (Dusty Springfield), These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ (Nancy Sinatra) and Georgy Girl (The Seekers).

Besides singing, they talked about new fads like Beatles, Twiggy, face creams, the Pill and independence. They also sent in lonely heart letters to Agony Aunt Gwendolyn Holmes (played by the amazing Joanna Bessey) who thinks every problem can be solved with “a fetching new hairstyle” or “a new shade of lipstick”.

We certainly have loads of fun watching and ‘experiencing’ the musical. Yeah, it was an experience. Ning and gang were all equally fantastic with wonderful voices and brilliant comic timing (ntv7's Audition season one champ Tria Aziz is simply hilarious. The music was great and the choreography was easily eye catching and feet stomping. The crowd really got into it.

And as I said earlier, I'm glad I didn't read about this show before going as I might want to cmpare these girls with the original performers (but when I got home, I've youtubed and watched another mat salleh's off-broadway version.... and I have to give our girls the thumbs-up).

I believe that if you are into musicals ala Mamma Mia, this one is not to be missed. Naturally, this high-energy musical held my undivided attention throughout. It brought me back to the lively music of the sixties. A nostalgic trip, indeed. (no, I’m not that old - started my schooling years in the 70's okay!)). But really, if you are from that era, you can't miss the joy. I was smiling the whole time. My teenaged girls seemed to enjoy most of the 60’s music for the first time as they were tapping away in their seats.

So if you are wondering what to do these next few days, why don’t you check out this musical. It’s magically groovy!

Shout! The Mod Musical runs from July 15 till 21 at Pentas 1, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, Sentul Park, Kuala Lumpur. Showtime is 8.30pm (with extra 3pm shows from July 16 onwards). Tickets are priced between RM96 and RM225. Tickets can be purchased at Axcess ticket outlets or KLPac’s box office. For details, call 03-7725 6175/4047 9000 or browse broadwayacademy.asia.

Cerita Bola Saya.....

2010-06-24T03:11:00.002+08:00

I’ve never been a fan of football.... so it’s no biggie that the on-going World Cup does not affect me. For instance, you won’t find me staying up to watch the matches (why, even the 7.30 pm matches also I don’t really watch) – and that will definitely include the final.

That doesn’t mean I do not follow the goings –on of the matches. Being a perpetual couch potato, more often than not, I found myself veering off to the sports channels just to keep up with the latest score. Yeah, I love all those trivia things and I guess learning, as an example, about France’s spectacular exit from this year’s tournament is rather thrilling.

What astonished me the most, however, is the fact that my two oldest girls are into this World Cup. Naturally, they are rooting for Argentina, or to be more precise Lionel Messi (whom I only realise existed when he was used by Astro in that World Cup ad where he uttered “in HD” to that young girl and her parents).

Speaking of rooting, I still do not have a team to support although I am really leaning to see a new nation to win the World Cup this year. So it means, I’m definitely not supporting Germany, Brazil (am still heart broken when they were ousted by Italy in 1982), Argentina (sorry, girls), Italy (still cannot forgive you guys for that 1982 turn of event) and good old England (still think, they are the most over rated team this year). Somehow, I’m okay if Uruguay wins their third trophy this year, though).

See, I’m big on trivial and useless information – I can remember all those historical (if you can call it that la) facts and figures – like that 1982 Brazilian tragedy. Although, I’ve never once stayed up to watch any of the World Cup finals in its entirety, I can still recalled the heroic Mario Kempes in the 1978 final, the entertaining Dutch team led by Johann Cruyff in 1974 and the hugely tedious 1990 final between Argentina and Germany, because I did watch highlights of those matches, and many more, countless times.

Anyway, because this time around there’re two ladies who are following it more closely than their Bapak, the World Cup do creeps into our conversations at home and we have had some good laugh at that...

Conversation One:

The Two New Fans (aka Alia and Asma): Yeah Argentina won!!!!!

Bapak: (Looking bewildered)

Mak: Mak tak tahu la nak sokong siapa this World Cup ni.

Alia: Sokong Argentina la....

Mak: Ha dah tahu.... Mak nak sokong Turkey!!!!

Bapak: (dah gelak guling2 with the girls) err Turki tak masuk final la this time...

Mak: Laaaaa... tapi orang Turki handsome2.... and then dia orang pulak tu Islam.

(So, How?)

Conversation Two:

(this during a chat session over FB between me and my friend Hazel (with apology ya Puan!)

Mior: .... tu la kan..... masa Argentina lawan Greece yesterday.....

Hazel: Wait! Greece ada masuk World Cup????? Bukan negara dia orang dah bankrupt ka? Apasal dia orang main?

(Mior then gulling2 jatuh ke lantai again)

Conversation Three:

(This was when the girls were watching the replay of Argentina Vs Greece)

Mak: Heyyy... ni dia mamat yang kat dalam iklan tu (obviously referring to Messi)

The Two New Fans: Ha betul la Mak... tu lah Messi!!!

Mak: Haaaa... Maxis?

(And I rest my case!)

It's the girls' day out ..... with Bapak in tow (muahhaahhaa)

2010-06-14T13:56:00.005+08:00

This school holiday, we didn't go anywhere (as if we always go on vacation during holidays la pulak ya). But nevertheless, I still feel guilty seeing the girls got cooped up in the house throughout the two-week holiday. So I did the next best thing - I ajak them jalan-jalan to shopping malls whenever I got the time. Like last Saturday.... my two oldest girls and I (their mom was busy with her work and needed to be online the whole morning while their youngest sister .. well... she just went to sleep after staying up all night doing her anime stuff or whatever that she's doing) went to Mid-Valley and Suria KLCC (which was a quite an event for us la on account that we normally lepak2 at Sunway Pyramid or at those wonderful Mall in Mutiara Damansara sahaja).

We left early and by 9am we were already driving into Mid-Valley car park. I was extremely excited no doubt looking at the near deserted parking lot and quickly parked the car right in front the entrance's escalator. The reason for that early morning sojourn was that we wanted to check our the Scholastics' Book Buffet promotion. As we were very early, naturally they were not opened yet. However, we got to check out the books there first la and it was decided that although the titles were interesting, Asma really wanted to get hold of Michael Grant's Gone novel (as she already bought the second one in the series and couldn't really understand what's going on... until she reads the first one).

So we decided to lepak-lepak at McD while waiting for the bookshops (mainly MPH) to open. We also took the oportunity to jalan-jalan ke Gardens.

Gardens is as always... more quiet than Mid-Valley. But then the girls found it nice...

... especially when Alia found out that there's a totally kick-ass art store there... can't even remember the name of the store

Then we stumbled upon Borders... woohhoooo (that's me trying lo look cool...)

... but it didn't work out kan? I mean, me trying to look cool.

Anyway, Borders didn't have the book that Asma is looking for.... so

... we made our way back to Mid-Valley and into MPH... where the search continued. The thing was that upon checking with their computer system, the elusive book was stated as available... but even with the help of the good people at MPH, we still could not locate the book.... hrmmmmph! So it was decided then that dah alang-alang keluar ke kota raya, we might as well try our luck at Kinokuniya.... So off we went to Suria KLCC pulak..

... and yes we found the book at Kino finally. Lega. And then we had lunch. Japanese. Nyum...nyum..

The End.

Bila jumpa balik.....!

2010-05-31T11:19:00.004+08:00

29 years later. (from left Ooi Lee, Nora, Sumawati, Salina, Azizah, Adzman, Mior , Amran, Azhar and Harman)

For some reason, I never really fancy myself going to reunions… be it school or college reunions. Numerous American TV shows that depicted reunions as a painful experience somehow contributed to the feeling. I could feel my stomach curdle just thinking about it. Why would anyone subject themselves to secondary school or college again, even just for a day or night? Surely the only people who actually go to those things are the wildly successful with something to show off.

Don’t get me wrong. Secondary school wasn’t that bad for me, compared to some of the tortured stories I’ve watched from those TV shows. I had some good times, made some good friends (which, unfortunately, went separate ways once we got our SPM/STPM results), and tried to be under the radar most of the time since I was devoid of any talents whatsoever. And I also tried not to fail exams (which I was not very successful at, though). I think I learned a few things in school here and there, but math DID turn out to be useless just like we all contended. I definitely had my insecurities and embarrassments, but I got out relatively unscathed.

But last weekend, saw me attending my very first reunion (more like a mini reunion, really) in Ipoh. And you know what, I enjoyed it tremendously. And I want to do this more often now. I realise I have lots of friends and I want to stay in touch and be friends all over again. Life’s too short not to be cherished this way.

Masih muda

Catching up

A Reminder for Self!

2010-05-25T21:25:00.001+08:00

JANGAN
terlalu susah hati dengan urusan dunia. Akhirat itu lebih utama dan hidup di sana lebih lama dan kekal selamanya.

JANGAN
sengaja lewatkan solat kerana perbuatan ini tidak disukai Allah swt.

JANGAN
tidur selepas solat subuh, nanti rezeki tersekat kerana di waktu pagi itulah pintu rezeki dibuka.

JANGAN
makan tanpa membaca Bismillah dan doa makan, nanti rezeki kita dikongsi syaitan.

JANGAN
keluar rumah tanpa niat untuk membuat kebaikan, takut kalau-kalau kita mati dalam perjalanan.

JANGAN
biarkan mata liar di perjalanan, nanti hati kita gelap diselaputi dosa.

JANGAN
menangguh taubat apabila membuat dosa kerana mati itu boleh datang pada bila-bila masa.

JANGAN
ego untuk meminta maaf daripada ibubapa dan sesama manusia kalau memang kita bersalah.

JANGAN
mengumpat sesama rakan taulan, nanti rosak persahabatan kita dan hilang kebahagiaan hidup kita.

JANGAN
lupa bergantung kepada Allah swt dalam setiap kerja yang kita lakukan, nanti kita sombong apabila berjaya dan kecewa kalau gagal.

JANGAN
bakhil untuk bersedekah kerana sedekah itu memanjangkan umur dan memurahkan rezeki kita.

JANGAN
terlalu banyak ketawa, nanti mati jiwa.

JANGAN
biasakan berbohong kerana ia adalah ciri-ciri munafik dan menghilangkan kasih orang kepada kita.

JANGAN
suka menganiaya manusia atau haiwan. Doa makhluk yang teraniaya cepat dimakbulkan Allah swt.

JANGAN
pertikaikan kenapa Islam itu berkata JANGAN, sebab ianya ada hikmah tersendiri. Allah swt lebih tahu apa yang terbaik untuk hamba ciptaanNya.

JANGAN
baca saja coretan ini. Sebarkan kepada saudara sesama Islam untuk kebaikan bersama.

Me and my trifle

2010-05-17T14:20:00.008+08:00

I love food. No question about that. And because of that I enjoy being in a kitchen. Though I don't cook that much, seeing that the wife is somewhat an expert there, I do have one or two dishes where I think I can make it as good as she does. One of which is a fruit trifle. Yeah, I know.... it's horribly easy to do a trifle but still.... (there's a reason for this and I tell you why in a minute).

Anyway, for the uninitiated, a trifle is an old English dessert dish made from thick (or often solidified) custard, fruits, sponge cake, and whipped cream. These ingredients are usually arranged in layers with fruit and sponge cake on the bottom, and custard and cream on top. See, how easy it is to make a trifle... just put all the ingredients on top of one another. I learned to make trifle from my very close cousin Iza (herself a wonderful cook) when I was still a bachelor.

Once, when I was still engaged to my wife many years ago, I brought a specially made trifle (prepared with love,of course) to her mom's place when I went visiting. Apparently that was the first time the wife ever encounter a trifle. I felt so pandai then (though I was told later that she wasn't that crazy with the trifle but her niece Faizah and nephew Zaki polished it off from the casserole).

However, over the years, the wife has acquired the liking to trifle (she even shared the recipe with her sister and relatives) but for some reason she always prefer me preparing it. It's always: "You make it much more delicious la!". Always. Even when I ask her to do it instead. Always that same line. Hmmm.... now I wonder why!!!!!

Trifle, anyone?

And we went out..... what else is new la...

2010-05-09T21:54:00.009+08:00

It's Mother's Day yesterday, which if you ask me, was quite apt as it gave us good enough reason to go out and partake in one of our favourite things - makan-makan. Yes, despite the pervasive influence of commerce on the observance of Mother’s Day, we do take our time to ... urm... celebrate the day but of course in our own way la... not the fancy and lavish and expensive kind of celebration.

So off we went to this makan place that we just discovered, right after my SIL and MIL left our place around 3pm.

Here're some of the pix:

The Mother waiting for her....
... awesome platter of grilled lamb, beef, chicken
Both Asma and I were having sizzling steak... and it sizzles in our mouth, I tell you.

and I find even its Iced Lemon Tea was sensational... can you imagine that?

And this Iced Milo was nice to look at...

The eldest and the youngest went for their mandatory pastas, of course. Here's Arissa enjoying hers. Btw, that gentleman sitting in the background.... that's Mazlan --- our sub-editor at Malaysian Business where I work.

AMCORP MALL
After stuffing ourselves, we then decided to jalan-jalan ke Amcorp Mall - now one of our favourite haunts especially on Sundays. For those who do not know, Amcorp Mall literally comes alive on Sunday because of its Flea Market. We can just walk around aimlessly looking at all the wares and knick-knacks on display.

See, the girls walking around tanpa arah tujuan... (that's after their mother successfully haggled her way to buy some Pokok Daun Kari at one of the stalls)

Oh by the way, one of the traders at the Flea Market is Halim, Nisa's husband (our niece). So naturally, we went up to his stall. Halim sells all these stuff for hobbyists.

That's Halim (with cap) - his stall is located on the top floor of the mall. Do drop by as he has quite a selection of stuff that will surely be of interest for you hobbyists out there.

This is the boss' wife - Nisah and my wifeThe best thing about Halim's location is that, it is fronting this book shop. Book Xcess is definitely the place to go for cheap good books....and mags too

... where Alia went crazy buying all her foreign fashion magazines at real low prices.

All in all, Amcrop Mall is really a cool place, in our book la, as the girls also bought some dresses at dirt cheap prices.

As for us, we were just happy to walk-walk with the girls. Aaaah, life!! Alhamdulillah.

The Boys of 2010!!!

2010-05-08T08:40:00.004+08:00

This past month or so.... our family welcome two more new addition - both boys.

Just recently, my cousin Anom and husband Nasir became proud parents to Muhammad Zikri Mohd Nasir. This is Zikri...

And a few weeks before that, another young cousin Razif and wife welcome their second boy - Aisar Marzuq.

Well, if you ask me, they do look somewhat alike, no? But then babies tend to resemble each other kan. But then again, they're second cousins anyway!!!

Congratulations to both parents and enjoy the ride!!!!

(Trivia: the two boys are cicit number 22 and 23 to Allahyarham Tuan Haji Mior Mahmud and Allahyarhamah Hajah Yang Kamariah -- whoa that many already!!!!)

And then....

2010-02-27T00:39:00.002+08:00

Wait... its 2010 oredy and this is my first entry of the year!!!! Hrmphhhhhh!

I'm making a comeback... soon... just you wait. I just need to get my bearing back. I think!!! And I'm going back to FB now... got 5 tanks to take care. Taaaa.

Finally... my last three state capitals

2009-12-27T00:53:00.003+08:00

The year 2009 is pretty special to me. This year I finally achieved my life long goal to set foot in all of Malaysia’s state capitals. Yeah, after 45 years of being.

I’ve travelled quite extensively over the years (due to my work) but for some reasons, three state capitals – namely Johor Baru, Kuantan adn Kota Kinabalu – escape me.

Funny thing is I’ve been to all the states in Malaysia even Sabah (went to Labuan two years ago and took a ferry trip into the State and went river cruising somewhere) but never managed to visit the state capital - KK.

But somehow 2009, I was presented the opportunities to finally menjejakkan kaki at these three state capitals (and in my book it means the city centre itself and its famous landmarks).

Johor Baru – I’ve flown over JB countless of times especially in the 90s when we at Computimes have to take to turn to attend events in Singapore almost every other week. I even flew into Senai Airport once but instead of going into JB city centre, I went the opposite direction into Desaru. And that’s about it. And that's the nearest I've ever came to JB until May this year. So it was real pleasure when P1 Wimax held an event there and I was fortunate enough to join them. And I finally saw the Tambak Johor with my own two eyes and enjoyed the sea breeze in Danga Bay.

Kuantan – Okay, I’ve skirted around Kuantan a couple of times on my way to Terengganu and Kelantan (somehow you don’t have to go through Kuantan town to get further into the east coast). And this year, I’ve been to Kuantan twice. And the seafood by the beach.... aaaahhhhhh!

Kota Kinabalu – Finally KK. Was there in November. More seafood thanks to Veena. And its pretty there (well I was at ShangriLa Tanjung Aru and of course the view from my hotel room is simply breathtaking). I didn't get to do much while here (wished I've joined the rest for Island hopping sojourn on the last day though) but I'll would love to come back. But more importantly, this trip completes my dream.

And I'm stilll excited about Percy Jackson

2009-12-11T01:31:00.003+08:00

Now who would have thought that a book series based on a Greek mythology managed to bring the five of us at home together. It’s such a rage in our household these past few weeks that we practically rushing to read the series and rereading it over and over again.

Not that we were not “together” before but as far as I can remember this is the first time that all of us went ‘gaga’ over a book or rather a book series. It doesn’t happen with Harry Potter (Yan does not like it) and certainly never with that over rated Twilight saga (sorry girls but I could not even bring myself to complete the first book let alone… urgh… never mind).

I’m talking about Percy Jackson & The Olympians, a series of adventure books written by Rick Riordan, and like I said itsbased on Greek mythology. The series begins with a young boy named Percy Jackson who is diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia discovering that he is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. In the process, he learns that the Olympians still exist, along with many other figures and monsters from Greek mythology like Titans, cyclopes, and other creatures.

In the stories, author Rick Riordan has moved the Greek Gods from the Mediterranean to America (the new civilisation kononya) – where now the Underworld is beneath Los Angeles, Mount Olympus is 600 floors up in the Empire State Building in New York, the Island of the Lotus-Eaters is in Las Vegas – and all of the monsters, gods, and adventures have been brought up to date, in a way that is funny for the reader but respectful of the original myths.

But what excite us most is that the series are really funny, fast-paced, and really well written. Riordan did a wonderful job of making all the characters endearing, even the kids who are bullies and the not-so-nice kids. And although you can get lost reading the series because there are so many characters and monsters and creatures to remember, I truly enjoy reading it. And whadaya know, a movie based on the first series -The Lightning Thief - will be coming to theaters early 2010. Can‘t wait.

Cuma seriously, I was rather puzzled because the series escaped us for four years (until Asma bought the first series) as the first one was published way back in 2005, to be followed by The Sea of Monsters (2006), The Titan’s Curse (2007), The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008), and recently the final book in a series The Last Olympian came out not too long ago. (And of course we now are proud owners of all five plus one guide book called The Demigod Files).

But better late than never. Trust us.. Percy Jackson and the Olympian series are amazing read. We are suitably entertained!!

Things you must never do bila jumpa awek cun

2009-11-29T05:59:00.005+08:00

Okay, ini ada satu peringatan, khususnya untuk anak-anak bujang di luar sana.....jika mahu memikat anak dara... ini BUKAN caranya ya...

Kalau jumpa awek cun, sebaik nya kena la tunjuk macho and gentleman. Bagi salam ke and introduce diri. Jangan main cekup sahaja tangan anak orang

Kalau ikut main rentap saja tentulah awek cun pun terkezut and cuba menjauhkan diri. Dan jangan gigih mau tarik itu awek cun jugak kena pulak mak dia ada kat situ.
Dan agak-agak la ya... kalau orang dah tak sudi jangan main paksa-paksa lak.

Sekian untuk peringatan pada hari ini.

We're Good, Babe! A Letter To Wife!

2009-11-18T23:21:00.005+08:00

Dear Wife,

Our union is love. This is the love which you inspire in me. True love that comes from devotion and passion, and for which the greatest sacrifices are the sweetest delights.

Happy 16th Anniversary, Babe! And We're Good! Alhamdulillah!

Love and Thanks.

From: Sang Suami

1993

2009

My baby turns 13!!

2009-11-14T08:54:00.002+08:00

Last week, my baby turns 13. And yes, our little Miku-Miku girl (whatever that means) is no longer that little anymore. Sigh!

I wish you happiness and all that comes with it

I wish you luck and awareness

I wish you good judement

I wish you good health

I wish you prosperity for your future

I wish no harm to you ever

I wish this life for you is all you want it to be and knowing I helped a little along the way

Arissa - Our Nippon Girl oh her birthday

My 8 Days of Raya (1430H)

2009-09-28T00:59:00.010+08:00

Thanks to Facebook, I am no longer rajin updating this space. Sometimes, well err most of the time, I'm tempted to simply close this blog. But then again, I've been keeping this space since 2003.... which is rather a long time. After all, the real reason for me to set up this blog in the first place was to note down happenings around my family. So this blog stays....

And now for my this year's Raya entry.....

Day One: Woke up early... somehow most of us find it easy to wake up early on Raya day. Went to the nearby surau for Solat Raya. Whoaaa, nearly missed it as they started early. The solat, I mean. Oh, this year, we did not balik kampung. Long story.
Back home, the ladies are all ready in their Raya bajus. Soon after, brother in law Abg Lan and family came over, followed by another BIL, Nyah Ji and family. Lepaking and eating were the order of the day. They stayed on until evening. A few nephews and a niece stayed on to spend the night at our place. Then in the evening we decided to go bowling (yeah tuan-puan, we went bowling) at Sunway Pyramid. Well, at least we did not go in all the baju melayus and kurungs like some other people there.

Us and our tamu - makan2 and sembang2

later on, we found ourselves at the bowling alley

Day Two: Early morning, Yan went online googling for pancake's recipe. Yes, pancakes for breakfast. While Yan cook with Nisah, the boys went swimmng. And I was on FB. Then we had a long leisurely breakfast which started around 9am which ended around noon!!! After Zuhur, we drove up to Abg Lan's place in Sg Buloh for some lawatan balas. Fantastic spaghetti carbonara awaits us there. Delicious. Later that night, cousin Anom and Nasir came over.

Day Three: Tummy ache. Akibat lupa diri on the first two days of Raya. Spending most of the day in bed trying to sleep off the pain. By night time, felt better and decided to go out for dinner at our favourite place Fig & Olive in Sunway Pyramid.

.... at our favorite makan place

Day Four: Busy day. Many more people came over. As we were already sick and tired of segala lemang rendang, Yan decided to serve nasi putih and masakan kampung this time. Delicious. People streamed into our homes from noon till quite late at night. Alhamdulillah.

it's good to see the guests polished off our spread...

Day Five: Did absolutely nothing. Except late at night, went out to buy bercucuk satay ayam at USJ8. Sedap la pulak.

Day Six: Woke up very late. Then realised that I've to go to work today. Kelam kabut satu round. Alas, walked into the office dengan selambanya at 11.30am!!!! Went to Solat Jumaat at the Taman Desa mosque. Whoaaaa, masjid kosong. Apparently, many people are still in kampung and on leave. But the khutbah, with its multimedia presentation and all, is very humbling. MasyaAllah! After work, went to raya at my brother's place in USJ3.

Day Seven: Busy day. Before noon, drove to Cheras to attend majlis merisik Nisah, our niece! The rombongan sebelah lelaki came on time and as the only available uncle, was entrusted with the duty to represent the soon to be bride's side. Stammer my way through successfully. And then it was lunch feast. Makan lagik. Left soon after as another niece, Shida, was already on her way to our place. Reached home and Shida was already there. Chit chat some more. By 6pm, made our way to my uncle's place in Shah Alam for Raya open house do. Makan lagik....oooh heaven!!!

with Mak Su and Ayah Chu

Day Eight: More tetamu came over. Long lunch and Yan baked cream cheese carrot cake, my favourite. And, yes I seriously need to start my puasa enam soon. Tomorrow, perhaps?

So, that's my raya this year. Thus far....

Salam Aidil Fitri 1430/2009

2009-09-19T17:48:00.006+08:00

The food to our soul is hope. The delights of our heart, happiness. As we closed another Ramadan chapter, InsyaAllah we have brought hope and happiness onto others. When done, , the journey of realisation will give hope to have our own happiness., beyond any physical pleasures. Spare yourself a thought. Salam Aidil Fitri to all. Have a Grand Raya. Maaf Zahir dan Batin!

Raya dulu-dulu!!!

2009-09-12T09:00:00.007+08:00

I was revisiting old entries of this blog and was reading my previous Raya entries when it struck me that I now have a rather vague recollection of my Raya experiences especially when I was smaller and younger.

So out came the old photo albums where I searched for old Raya photos. Unfortunately, there were not that many photos and certainly none when I was in the primary school years. The fact is I really do not remember much about how I spent my Raya with my parents and brothers - except that we usually would drive to my Opah's place in Lahat (near Ipoh) after the solat Raya and on the second day of Raya, my Bapak's mum and siblings would be coming down to our place in Temoh for some serious Raya "lepak" session. That went on for many years, ever after my Bapak's passing.

Here are some of my Raya of yesteryears that I managed to .. err... salvage:

First Raya with Alia

Then Asma came along the next year (just check out her hairdo)

... and Arissa appeared the next year (us with Mak Temoh in Temoh)

Cousins - Safia, Ina, Alia, Asma, Soraya holding Adam with Arissa sleeping peacefully.

Bapak's siblings and gang used to come down to Temoh every second Raya ... so much so it became a must tradition that went on for many years (pix in mid 90s, probably Raya1996)

And of course before that, all of us would gather at Opah's place on the first day of Raya (this pix taken on Raya 1986)

However...one of my most favourite Raya happened in 1993... when I got engaged on the second day..

My family getting ready with the hantaran pertunangan before making their way to Kampar...

to sarung the cincin to this beautiful lady

I didn't go though... the rombongan left for Kampar and I went to sleep. This is me after they all got back from Kampar. Happy man!

As for Raya with kawan-kawan, we normally visited each the on the thrid or fourth day of Raya... like this Raya in 1983 when my Form 6 buddies came over to my place in Temoh. Those good old days!!!!!

Buka Puasa Feast ... and we don't need fancy hotel buffet to enjoy it.

2009-08-31T00:35:00.006+08:00

Iftar is definitely a happy time. These past two days we had guests over for iftar. And the wife together with our delightful Kak Encik (Yan's cousin) cooked up a storm that all enjoyed immensely. Let's the photos explain....

Sunday...

The chef and the cook

Sibs - Nisah and Affan

The host and the guest

The mom and the bro

The lauks - ayam masak merah, lemak keli belimbing, kari daging, hati lembu rendang and sayur campur

The mascot???? The cucu!!!

The appetiser and the desserts - yummm yummy

The fruits

Saturday...

Sessi bertemu menantu

The guests

Appetiser - Mee rebus

The dessert

More desserts

Alhamdulillah!

Just remember that you have many gifts

2009-08-25T17:40:00.003+08:00

Our dearest Asma,
As you turned 14, it is also a time to rejoice that you have remained in Allah SWT’s perfect protection in all forms and ways starting with your health, beauty and intellect and ending with the days he has allotted you unhampered by crippling disease and or lack or loss of intelligence.

We are so deliriously happy to see you all grown up and we pray that you will before making every decision big or small make a prayer to ask Allah for His guidance, help and blessings.

We pray that you ask Allah SWT to give you at all times guidance, the ability and desire to follow His guidance (The Quran), wisdom to understand its beauty and its markers, Afiyah which is an all enveloping protection from Him both in this world and the next.

Just remember that you have many gifts, some you are aware of while some you will become aware of as they unfold. Do remember that they are all from Allah and use them in the path of Allah.

We pray for your health, your protection, and for your happiness. Always. We are here to love you and support you in your journey. May you always feel the gentle cloak of Allah’s Love and Rahmat on your shoulders.

Love and prayers for you always! Happy 14th Birthday, Asma!

Amin.

From,

Mak and Bapak!

There Is No Map To The Journey Of Life.

2009-08-14T15:56:00.003+08:00

Way back in 1979, around this time of the year, I was just a Form Three pupil preparing for my SRP. As I was not a particularly brilliant nor was I a ‘rajin’ student, the fact that I barely sneaked into Form Four later was indeed a huge personal victory. Studying and taking exam are clearly not me!

And what do you know, exactly 30 years on, here I am staring at PMR (again!) - that all-important exam for the 15-years olds in the country.

Yes, my Alia is 15 this year. Thanks to my beautiful eldest daughter, I am relieving those nerve-wrecking moments of 1979 again and again. In fact, we celebrated her birthday on August 10 recently.

Of course, it feels it was only yesterday when we brought her home from the clinic and I was hovering anxiously around my wife trying to help her gave our baby her first bath. Today, we still hover around our eldest daughter – “urging” her to study and to do her chores.

We celebrated her birthday (and her sister’s Asma as well as both are August girls) by having a makan-makan at New York, New York Deli in One Utama recently. An okay lah joint! 2-in-one celebration.... jimat duit this year!!

Anyway, here’s a poem for my Gegenemaye:

There Is No Map To The Journey Of Life.

There is no book to the journey of life, and the road you are destined be mother or wife, will seem at times to have bedrock of fear but never forget sweat pea, I am always near.

Watch for the souls who like trees root in soil, for fear that there heart is the thing they will spoil. Don’t let them lead you to alleys of dark, where you’ll be forced to protect your light and your heart.

Some live as victors and challenge the past, some never get there and live as a cast. I know of life that the road is not clear, but you have your bapak Alia, I am always here.

There is no map to the journey of life, so live to be whole, not just girlfriend or wife. Souls like ours need pasture & plane, and your soul my girl will be restless, again and again.

As you journey ahead your spirit will speak, it is for home you are heading, it is home that you seek. Where that is only you can find, let your heart lead the way and just follow behind.

While I am out here ahead in some way, I hope the signs I write, you’ll find on your way. Read them and do what you will, at the end of the day its your heart to fulfill.

If there was a book to the journey of life, yours would be bound with the pain of my strife. It would heal and protect and ease your pain, and help you find your feet again.

The words would be written with the depth of my love and never forget I am with you, be it here on earth while I’m still alive or even after I’m gone.

Choose your obsessions...

2009-08-02T23:39:00.001+08:00

(Life has been somewhat "hectic" emotionally and otherwise lately... then I stumbled upon this poem. Interesting!)

Choose your obsessions
For they are unworthy possessions
Trojan horses
They bind you
Without you realizing
They hinder your natural design
And make you completely blind

Choose your obsessions
For they are unworthy possessions;
They are the weeds,
You; yourself choose to grow.
Some seeds are rotten..
Still you keep them, them, you don’t throw.

And after the tsunami
You wonder why you were destroyed
By; your own army…

Choose your obsessions
For they are unworthy possessions;
They determine; the extent of your regression…
Although we must All have some,
Eggs turn into chickens
Choose your obsessions
For they are impressions
Which can determine your future
& Tomorrow’s positions
The journey; and the final decision.

Choose your obsessions
For they are unworthy possessions

by Siddharth Anand

Tennis 101

2009-07-24T18:14:00.003+08:00

For some really strange reason, I love watching tennis, particularly the Grand Slam over the television. But of course, I don’t play tennis. (tried it in college for a while ... but never got the hang of it, though).

I think tennis is the sole purpose why we subscribed to sports channel over Astro. Because I don’t do EPL or err football, that’s for sure. Which I guess is a good thing for the rest of isi rumah as I won’t be fighting for the remote control except during Grand Slams.

Anyway seeing that I was kinda glued to the telly earlier this month watching the Wimbledon, the wife decided to finally join me and learn a little bit about the games. Now, for a newcomer, understanding how the points are accumulated in tennis can be a bit confusing and tedious. Come to think of it... memang pun!!!! So it took us (Asma and me) a while to make Yan understand the whole concept of tennis.

However, by the time the singles’ finals were underway, I’m happy to note that Yan has finally able to grasp the whole thing. Which let us to these two conversations:

Ladies Singles Final
Serena Williams was clearly dominating the game, much to Yan’s dismay who for some reason (she thinks Venus more better looking????) was rooting for the older sibling.

Yan: Ish ish kenapa ngan Venus ni hari ni?
Asma: Oh dia ada masalah kewangan tu!!!!!!
(I love my daughter!!)

Men’s Singles Final
As Federer and Roddick battling out point-by-point and set-by-set, Yan was watching very intently.

Yan: Okay, I know. If the score reach 6-6, then both will go into tea-break!
Us: (Ketawa berguling-guling)

(I simply love my wife!!!)

Smile... yes just keep on smiling!!!

2009-07-12T11:33:00.005+08:00

It has been rather a trying two weeks for me but life goes on...

And when I watched Jermaine Jackson sang this song at the memorial, it brought back many memories. I believe this is one of my almarhum Bapak and mak's favourite song. This and Tudung Periuk. Anyway, Happy 74th Birthday to Mak. And I miss Bapak! We all do!

Smile though your heart is aching
Smile even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll see the sun come shining through for you

Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile

(Note: Pix taken about a year before Bapak's passing. Possibly the last picture taken of him with Mak at our place in Temoh, prompting Asma to say that house (or rather the decor) still looks the same today. Hmmm).

Laskar Pelangi - Membuka Mata, MengusikJiwa

2009-06-29T16:20:00.006+08:00

Sejujurnya saya tidak mengetahui bahawa Laskar Pelangi itu sebenarnya adalah sebuah novel tulisan Andrea Hirata yang kemudiannya diadaptasi menjadi sebuah flem atas judul sama lewat tahun 2008. Dan sejarah perfileman tercipta bilamana filem itu muncul menjadi filem pecah panggung paling laris di Indonesia. Ever.

Yang saya tahu Laskar Pelangi adalah sebuah lagu dendangan kumpulan Indonesia Nidji yang menjadi kesukaan isteri saya. Memang lagunya merdu lantas saya jua amat menyukainya. Namun seperti lagu-lagu lain saya tidak begitu memerhatikan baris lirik lagu itu. Saya mendengar sekadar untuk merasa tehibur.

Sehinggalah pada Mei lalu saya singgah di blog sahabat siber saya Saudara Feisal (matsalo.blogspot.com) yang bekerja di Indonesia dan betapa beliau menyukai filem ini. Ini membuatkan saya menjadi teruja untuk menonton filem ini. Saya ada juga ternampak novel Laskar Pelangi ini di geri PTS sewaktu menjenguk Pesta Buku Antarabangsa di PWTC April lalu. Namun saya ini umpama orang Melayu lupa diri yang lebih meminati novel-novel berbahasa Inggeris hanya sekadar memandang sahaja.

Sebenarnya buku ini adalah tetralogi buku karya Andrea berkenaan kisah masa muda beliau di Belitong itu sendiri. Buku berikutnya adalah Sang Pemimpi, Edensor dan Maryamah Karpov. Buku ini juga tercatat sebagai buku sastera Indonesia terlaris sepanjang sejarah.

Dua hari selepas saya menonton Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen yang mengujakan sangat dan ketika saya di bawah sedar masih terbayang-bayang peperangan hebat antara puak Autobots dan Decipticon, tiba-tiba ada rakan baru dari alam siber memberitahu bahawa Laskar Pelangi The Movie boleh di download di Internet.

Makanya malam itu saya bersama Asma, anak dara nombor dua saya, berjaga lewat menonton Laskar Pelangi. Verdictnya? Without a doubt, one of the best films ever.

Tiba-tiba keterujaan saya terhadap babak peperangan antara mesin dalam filem Transformers hilang lenyap setelah menonton filem ini. Kini apa yang berlegar di pandangan saya dan di fikiran saya, hanyalah 10 orang anak-anak di sebuah kepulauan kecil di Selatan Sumatera lewat tahun 70an yang menangis, ketawa, bermain dan menyusuri hidup susah amat sambil terus-terusan menimba ilmu pendidikan. Novel ini bercerita tentang kehidupan 10 anak dari keluarga miskin yang bersekolah (SD dan SMP) di sebuah sekolah Muhammadiyah di pulau Belitong yang penuh dengan keterbatasan.

Dipimpin dengan penuh kasih sayang oleh guru besar Pak Harfan serta guru wanita cekal Bu Muslimah, 10 kanak-kanak ini adalah:

Ikal – watak Andrea Hirata Seman itu sendiri.
Lintang; Lintang Samudra Basara bin Syahbani Maulana Basara
Sahara; N.A. Sahara Aulia Fadillah binti K.A. Muslim Ramdhani Fadillah
Mahar; Mahar Ahlan bin Jumadi Ahlan bin Zubair bin Awam
A Kiong (Chau Chin Kiong); Muhammad Jundullah Gufron Nur Zaman Syahdan; Syahdan Noor Aziz bin Syahari Noor Aziz
Kucai; Mukharam Kucai Khairani
Borek aka Samson
Trapani; Trapani Ihsan Jamari bin Zainuddin Ilham Jamari
Harun; Harun Ardhli Ramadhan bin Syamsul Hazana Ramadhan

Oh ya, mereka kini kawan baik saya!!!

Filem ini punya segala-galanya bagi saya. Lakonan mantap, lakon layar berkualiti tinggi, runut bunyi membuai emosi dan sinematografi nan indah. Sebagai seorang yang juga membesar di tahun 70an di sebuah petempatan penuh bijih timah, kehidupan di Belitong yang melatari cerita ini agak serupa dengan latar belakang zaman kanak-kanak saya. Lalu saya amat memahami. Walau hidup saya tidak sesusah anak-anak di Belitong ini (kerana selayaknya hidup saya lebih mirip dengan anak-anak di Gidong – penempatan orang-orang lebih berada di sana), namun paparan Laskar Pelangi amat dekat dengan hati. Syukur di tempat saya anak-anak tidak disekat untuk bergaul walau berbeda kelas penghidupan.Malah kami bersekolah dan bermain bersama.

Kembali kepada filem ini, garapan ceritanya amat meruntun emosi maka saya pasti anda akan ketawa terbahak dan mengalir air mata tersentuh rasa di sepanjang perjalanan flem ini. Kalau anda pernah menonton Slumdog Millionaire yang menang banyak Oscar itu, Laskar Pelangi ini pada pendapat saya adalah lebih baik. Jauh lebih baik.

Saya tidak punya apa yang boleh diperkatakan lagi. Cuma saya hairan amat kenapa cerita sebegini hebat tidak ditayangkan di Malaysia sampai hari ini. Malah DVDnya juga tidak ada lagi dijual di sini (tetapi dengarnya sudah lama ada di Singapura).

Apapun, keesokan paginya, setelah isteri saya bersama kakak dan ibunya bertolak ke Kuala Pilah, saya mengajak ketiga-tiga anak dara saya dan terus saya memandu laju ke MPH di One Utama untuk membeli novel Laskar Pelangi serta Sang Pemimpi. Buku lain sudah kehabisan stok. Dan novelnya – diadaptasi dengan baik sekali oleh PTS untuk pasaran Malaysia - itu sudah membuatkan saya kembali insaf dan kini mencintai sepenuhnya bahan bacaan bahasa Melayu.

Bapak: Pergi beli dan bacalah Laskar Pelangi. Anda pasti akan merasa lebih berinspirasi. Tidak banyak buku yang dapat melakukah hal sedemikian. Dan kalau boleh tonton filemnya jugak... susah mahu jumpa filem yang boleh mengalirkan pelbagai rasa emosi seperti ini. A+ dari saya.

The original Laskar Pelangi

RIP Mr Jackson

2009-06-26T09:59:00.004+08:00

It was in 1983 I think. My friends (I can't really recall but it must be Azmy, Baha, Amran and Zamri waiting for a movie to start at 3pm at the nearby Cathay) and I were having lunch at one of the stalls in Padang Kanak-Kanak in Ipoh, when I saw a Jukebox. I decided that the place could do with some music and so I made my way to the machine. I was browsing through the selections of music when I chanced upon a song that I've read in the newspapers which apparently was already huge hit in the US. Unfortunately, in ancient time Malaysia (unlike today), such hit songs would take their own sweet time to come to Malaysian airwaves. So naturally I chose the song.

Listening it for the first time then, I remembered vividly my friends asking me then: "Lagu apa ko pilih ni Mior???" But I was hook, line and sinker. The beat was simply infectious. And thus began my fascination with the singer's beautiful music and to a certain extent, his eccentricities. Oh yes, the song was Beat It by Michael Jackson.

And today the music dies. RIP Michael. And Al-Fatihah. (he converted to Islam last year)

Sometimes a movie can be ridiculously crazy.. like this one!

2009-06-25T02:00:00.005+08:00

Movie reviewers in the States are basically up in arms against Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen saying that it is empty, hollow, an assault on the senseless, and brainless. Sheesh, what's with these people!!!!!

I only have one word - FREAKING AWESOME! (oooh okay its two words). Now I'm too pumped up to sleep. Gotta have another go at the movie, I guess.

When Aidil Met Zara

2009-06-17T00:05:00.014+08:00

Aidil, the handsome active guy, finally met Zara, the ohhh so beautiful and graceful girl and they hit it off together. Kami yang tua-tua riuh-rendah seronok ... as usual. Aaaaah ....babies...
(Both pix were taken last weekend at my bro-in law home in Cheras using my old battered phone ... hence the quality.)

The sound of .... my animated Arissa

2009-06-12T09:11:00.006+08:00

Arissa, my youngest, is pretty creative, I believe. And resourceful too. During last
December long holiday she took it upon herself to learn anime-related graphics
and some easy video editing stuff.
She has created quite a few and this one is the latest. Of course as a Bapak,
I'm mighty proud. Now if only she listens to me more....

One hot Saturday... ada tetamu and ada orang kahwin

2009-06-07T00:33:00.005+08:00

It was really hot and humid yesterday. And by 5 pm I was already floored... exhausted giler. I still can't think clearly and decided to go Yanged (Kakak, see you are a noun!!!) with this entry. So here goes a rather detailed happenings for the day...

6.45am: Wife woke me up ... in time for Subuh prayer.

7.03am: Refrigerator visit.. minum ayor sejuk. And then say hi to Yan's cousin Kak Encik and her husband Abang Din in the living room. They were watching TV. They came on Thursday nite and it was fun having them over, as usual.

7.05am: Decided not to watch the TV3 Motivasi Pagi with them, went back to my bedroom and switched on the Internet. Blog hopping! And of course, Facebooking!!!

7.16am: Yan came in and asked me to google pancake recipe. Okay, our breakfast would be pancake, obviously.

7.33am: Breakfast. Ooh got nasi goreng too. Yipee!!!

7.33am - 8.20am: Eating and chit chatting away with my tetamu. Can't recalled what we were talking about though. Hmm, getting old.

8.21am: Asked Hadim (Kak Encik's youngest son) to join me watching Diversity on youtube. I should be getting money for promoting Diversity, no? Then his brother Afiq also joined us. Last-last semua dah ada depan PC.

9.15am: Kak Encik's family left for Bangi to visit her second son Wan. (Hmm I don't even know his full name. Note: must ask Yan later).

9.30am: Back in front of a PC. Yan was dozing off in front of a TV. The kids were having breakfast.

10.a00am - 10.30am: All were getting ready to go to Kuala Pilah for Yone and Azri's wedding reception.

10.33am: Left home. Figured will be in time to join the rest in Kuala Pilah by 12 something. Took the KLIA highway (or is it the PLUS highway?)

1040am: The drive was smooth. Should be on time....

11.07am: Approaching the Nilai exit at the KL-Seremban highway and oooo oooo traffic jam. Damn!

11.40am: Traffic was RIDICULOUS. We were inching away. Just passed the Nilai exit.

12.38 noon: Reached Seremban. God. More than an hour from Nilai to Seremban.

12.50 noon: Exited via Senawang. Oh no.... so many traffic lights.

12.53 noon: Swung into Petronas Mesra. Beli roti... sudah lapor.

1.07 pm: Reached Bukit Putus. (for the record: this is our first time to Kuala Pilah) and it felt like we were going to Cameron Highlands instead.

1.18pm: Thank God, that stretch didn't drag on. Before long, after Ulu Bendul, it was ... urm .. normal route again.

1.30 pm: Noticed there're stalls selling daging salai, ayam salai among others along the way. Interesting. Made mental note to buy those on our way back nanti.

1.45pm: Reached outskirt of Kuala Pilah town. Received call from Anom enquiring where we were. They were eating already.

1.46pm: Asked Yan to read the map on the invitation card. She asked Asma instead sebab takut bagi salah direction and thus incurring the wrath of the driver..

1.50pm: Got confused after the junction.

1.52pm: Stopped at one kampung house. Asked for direction.

1.53pm: Got direction.. drove off and alhamdulillah found the rumah kenduri.

2.04pm: The rombongan were almost done with the makan-makan... so we took our turn. Lapar. And the food was heavenly... bayangkan daging masak lomak, among others.

2.10pm: As I was eating away happily, suddenly my aunt Achik promised that she'll give a baju batik (size S lagik) if I'm successful with my Biggest Loser effort. I just blinked and said to myself, "What Biggest Loser? I'm eating now!!!!"

2.30pm: Then took photos here and there. But it was hot.. really really hot. Imagine the pengantin in their songket berlapis bagai.

3.05pm: Left Azri's home.

3.18pm: Reached Kuala Pilah town. Yan snapped some photos for the benefit of her niece .. Nurul... who would soon become a full-fledged Kuala Pilah resident.

3.35pm: Stopped to buy the daging salai... also some dodol.

4.15pm: Reached the PKLUS highway via Senawang. Traffic was not as bad as in the morning. But it was still hot... no its hotter... even with air-cond in full blast.

5.03pm: Reached home. Exhausted. The heat was rather unbearable. Mandi, solat and then zzzzzzzzzzz........

9pm: Alia and Asma woke me up... they were hungry, apparently.

9.20pm: Left home with family in search of food.

10.35pm: Back home. Switched on Internet. And air cond!!!! aaaah lega!!!

All in all, the day went rather well. It was great having Kak Encik and family as usual. It was good to be able to join the rest in Kuala Pilah, despite the heat and the horrendous traffic. Here are some photos from Kuala Pilah:

Kak and abang ipar pengantin... Anom and Nasir. Kat Penang hari tu lupa nak amik gambarq.

Arissa, Asma, Yone and Alia

The anak-anak gadis and seorang teruna with the pengantin

The bride's family

Hari ni lupa nak amik gambar dua orang... so tuan-puan will have to make do with this one... hehehe

Lunch in Penang

2009-06-04T07:46:00.004+08:00

While in Penang, we also took the liberty to meet up with a very good friend of mine (from our era bersuka ria in NST dahlu kala) - Azwan. She's now ... urm... I presumed a very garang lecturer in USM. (disclaimer: I might be wrong, though)

It was indeed an entertaining lunch do at E-Gate that Sunday afternoon. I guess it was also a rather astonishing experience for my daughters having met up a very da hip hop pompuan hingaq for the first time. Heh! (the last time Azwan came over to my place was like when Alia was still a baby).

But still, thank you very very much for the lunch yang amat sedap di sebuah tempat yang amat vogue itu. But more importantly, it was good to finally berbual bicara secara live... instead of texting thru phone and FB.

So Azwan, bila nak datang membuat lawatan balas????? Jemput... jemput

Again from all the kanak-kanak, Yan and I: a big thank you!!!!!

Eh... ada jugak depa ni!!!!

Yone is a married woman!

2009-06-02T00:31:00.008+08:00

We were in Penang over the weekend primarily to attend Yone's wedding. It was really delightful to be able to meet up with oh so many relatives. And Yone the pengantin is exquisitely beautiful. It was good to finally meet Azri, the groom.
Anyway, as I'm in no mood to tulis panjang2, here are some of the memories of last Saturday:

Yone and Azri - Selamat Pengantin Baru

Ayah Anjang's family at the reception (minus Adi yang pergi berjalan-jalan rupanya)

Yah of DramaMama was in charge of the flower girls. Here's Pipa and Ana.

The Pengantin berarak masuk

My second uncle Ayah Chik and Achik

The bride's brother Meor, wife Rina and my Arissa

My youngest auntie, Chu and Pak Su

My youngest uncle Ayah Chu and Mak Su

Haaa yang ni Mak Kecik and Pak Kecik. She's my auntie too plus partner in rime masa kecik-kecik dulu....

My brother and sister in law

My favourite auntie Wan Cik and Moi

Wan Cik and my daughters

My niece Safia

My pretty sweet young cousins - Fatin and Mai

My pretty sweet young nieces and daughter - Sabrina, Alia and Soraya

The ladies di Red Carpet... heh

and of course one Pengantin Lama....

And I am watching this....

2009-05-27T23:01:00.003+08:00

1. Confession time: I have an appalling fixation on reality shows. There I said it. I don't know why but somehow I find these shows are very compelling... enough for me to keep on watching or at least following it rather religiously online.

2. Take the recently concluded American Idol for instance. I don' t really get to watch it every week and even if I did, I somehow would miss one or two performances (incidentally I missed quite a few of Adam Lambert's showy performances). But I make sure I follow all the gory details in the countless websites and blogs. In fact, I'll be on standby on Thursday mornings awaiting the elimination results on www.realitynewsonline.com as Astro would only screened the results show later that day. Does that make me an addict? Or simply a weirdo?

3. Speaking of American Idol, I'm sure all are aware that Kris Allen was voted as the latest idol, much to the chagrin of my wife and daughters. But not me. I'm a Kris supporter. Naturally, I gloat... big time. Which of course, further annoyed the wife. And I gloat some more. What fun!!!!

4. But now Britain's Got Talent is all the rage at home. (Yeah, I know its rather unpatriotic but really we can't stomach Akademi Fantasia anymore, sorry). And no, it has nothing to do with Susan Boyle. Sure, she can sing. True, her story is .. urm.. grippingly interesting. But there are other better talents. Like Diversity... a dance act group who wowed audiences with their out of this world choreography. We were simply blown away...

5. Of course, the girls are rooting for Shaun Smith. And the wife is all for Shaheen Jafargholi. But collectively, we are all for Diversity.

6. Coming back to the other reality shows, admittedly, there are many lousy and rather stupid shows like Wife Swaps, Paris Hilton's My New BFF,, The Bachelors, America's Next Top Model, and Extreme Makeover, among others. But still, sometimes I find myself watching them anyway. ("Gawd! I can't believe I am confessing to watching these ridiculous shows.")

7. But we do get inspired from some of these shows. We find recipes (Top Chef), go to countries we only dream about (The Amazing Race), get pointers on how to deal with devilish bosses (Hell's Kitchen and The Apprentice) and watch designers create outfits (Project Runway).

8. And then there's The Biggest Losers. This one gives me HOPE!!!!

Peringatan Hari Jumaat

2009-05-21T23:51:00.005+08:00

Ini ada satu joke lama... but I still find it funny. Dan sempena hari Jumaat yang mulia ini... marilah kita sama-sama hayati...

Kisahnya macam ni,

Ada lah sorang lelaki Islam ponteng sembahyang Jumaat. Sebaliknya dia masuk hutan untuk memburu ayam hutan. Sedang dia terhendap2 di dalam semak, tiba2 dia berlanggar dengan seekor HARIMAU yang sedang lena tidur.Dia begitu terkejut sehingga senapangnya tercampak lalu tergelungsur kedalam jurang. Dia pula tergolek ke arah lain, jatuh ke atas batu dan...

KRAKKKK!

Kedua2 kakinya patah.

HARIMAU tadi terus menghambatnya, sedangkan dia dah tak boleh bergerak lagi.

"Ya Allah," doa lelaki tersebut,

"Ampunilah dosaku kerana ponteng sembahyang jumaat pada hari Jumaat yang mulia ini...Ampunilah aku ya Allah... makbulkan hajat ku ini... jadikanlah HARIMAU yang memburuku HARIMAU yang beriman...tolong la ya Allah! Aminnn.."

Tiba2 guruh berdentum!

HARIMAU tadi tiba2 terhenti betul2 di hadapan lelaki tadi. Tiba-tiba....Sambil menadah kedua2 kaki depannya ke langit .. HARIMAU tersebut pun berdoa,

"Allahumma barik lana, fima razaktana, wa qina azzabbannar. Amin"

Romantic but....

2009-05-18T00:08:00.002+08:00

I never see us (the wife and I) as a romantic couple. Best friend, yes! But not romantic, especially not me. That's because I hardly spring any random act of romance - like buying flowers bla bla - to my unsuspecting better half. I guess I should do more of these kind of acts, you know, just so to keep the fire burning!

But there are a few of those who knew us thought that we are ... urm.. romantic. I say, romantic ikut mana?

That's why both of us were quite stumped when a certain someone (a few years ago) had this to say about us:

"Walaupun mereka gemuk tetapi mereka romantik!"

Okay, tell me, how do you respond to that?

Fadhilat Jumaat

2009-05-15T01:32:00.000+08:00

Kata Kata Hikmah Buat Pedoman Hidup

ALBAZZAR meriwayatkan bahawa Nabi s.a.w biasa memotong kuku dan menggunting misai sebelum keluar untuk solat Jumaat.

Nabi Muhammad s.a.w bersabda: Siapa yang membaca surah Ali Imran pada hari Jumaat maka akan didoakan oleh malaikat hingga malam.

Nabi Muhammad s.a.w bersabda: Siapa membaca pada pagi Jumaat sebelum solat Subuh, Astagh Firullahalladzi la ilaha illa huwal hayyul qayyum wa atubu ilahi’ tiga kali, nescaya Allah akan mengampunkan dosa-dosanya walaupun sebanyak buih di laut.

Dari Abu Hurairah r.a katanya, dia mendengar Nabi s.a.w bersabda: Janganlah kamu berpuasa pada hari Jumaat melainkan bersama satu hari sebelumnya atau sesudahnya.

Pada hari Jumaat dijadikan ada saat mustajab; tiada seorang berdoa bertepatan dengan saat itu melainkan pasti doanya diterima selagi tidak berdoa untuk kejahatan atau memutuskan hubungan keluarga.

Nabi Muhammad s.a.w bersabda: Siapa yang berwuduk sahaja untuk menghadiri solat Jumaat adalah sudah baik (memadai), tetapi siapa yang mandi maka adalah terlebih baik.

Nabi Muhammad bersabda: Sesungguhnya hari-hari yang utama bagi kamu iaitu hari Jumaat maka perbanyakkanlah membaca selawat padaku kerana bacaan selawatmu itu langsung disampaikan kepadaku (pada hari Jumaat).

Untuk Mak!!!

2009-05-10T02:28:00.001+08:00

Untuk Puan Hafsah Mohamed Yusof

How much I love you I can't say:
It's more than words can hold.
You're all at once my rich, red clay,
My potter and my mold.

Yours the words that shaped my voice,
The spirit within mine.
Yours the will that shaped my choice,
My fortune, and my sign.

How lucky I was to have had you
At the core of me!
Wise and good, you always knew
Just what I could be.

And so I came to be someone
Whom I could be proud of.
For this I give my swollen sum
Of gratitude and love.

I have been busy...

2009-05-08T03:04:00.003+08:00

These past few days, I've been rather busy....

1. covering assignments not only in the Klang Valley but also in Johor Baru and Kuantan. Tiring but I welcome the break away from the office

Me and the group of journalists at the P1 Wiwax event down in Danga Bay, JB.

2. wasting my time phoning TMNET complaining about the near non existence coverage of streamyx and I finally gave up but ...
3. then wasting another week trying (aka again phoning the P1 customer service centre) to get my new W1Max connection working (which unfortunately is still not working properly... Can someone please help me?????)
4. trying to stay calm over what have been happening in Perak. But I think my blood is rising la.
5. trying to meet the deadline (and what else is new!!)
6. helping the wife with her Internet business
7. thinking of ways to make more money (so that I can pay off my mounting debts etc)
8. thanking my lucky star that I don't have to travel to Las Vegas this month (what with the swine flu and the sorry state of my bank account)
9. finishing books bought from the MPH and Times warehouse sale
10. trying to figure something clever to write about for this blog
11. getting on my daughters' nerves
12. trying to become a biggest loser (with no apparent progress in sight though but I must, I must and I must!)

My Top 10: Books

2009-04-27T02:06:00.004+08:00

Last week, there’s a World Book Day. Of course, I wasn’t aware of the day until my cousin Anom informed me. And I wanted to write something about it because I do like books and reading. So I decided to list my Top 10 Books ever. But it took me longer than I expected, I mean to come up with the list. I find it rather difficult to list just 10 books when I have literally hundreds of books that have brought me joy and excitement.

Anyway after giving much thought, I finally came around to list these 10 favourite titles of mine. So in random order, here they are:
1. Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Lord Jeffrey Archer. Personally, I think this is one of his most clever works. First published in 1976, this was also his first novel. It was said to have been inspired by Archer's real-life experience of near-bankcruptcy. Interesting fact: Apparently, it took him some time to find a publisher for this first novel. When it was published, it only sold 3,000 copies in hardback. The paperback did a bit better, selling about 20,000 in the first year. However, as word-of-mouth took over, demand increased. Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less has now been reprinted 57 times.

2. Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival” by Anderson Cooper. I like autobiographies and memoirs and this one is clearly my favourite. I guess being a journalist myself, I am drawn to this book. A son of a famous and wealthy socialite Gloria Vanderbilt, Anderson is now one of the popular anchors at CNN. He has been a globetrotting reporter for fifteen years, covering armed conflicts, political upheavals and natural disasters in hot spots around the world. The book is Cooper’s account of the people he met, the things he saw and the lessons he relearned in the midst of devastation. Beautifully narrated.

3. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. After 4 years, I am still affected by the plot. It tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, who betrayed his best friend Hassan, the son of his father's Hazara servant, and lives in regret. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of the monarchy in Afghanistan through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the rise of the Taliban regime. Heart wrenching but beautifully written.

4. The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz. Like many people, I too read many self-help and motivational books. But I like this one the most. The focus of The Magic of Thinking Big is on the different thought patterns that repeatedly lead to success. It explains how your mind works and how you can harness it to achieve success instead of allowing it to torture you. However, perhaps because the book was published over 50 years ago, it lacks the fast food information feel of many modern books. Now the only thing left for me to do is to apply the tips given…. Hmmmm.

5. Every Boy’s Got One by Meg Cabot. Yes, confession time. I read Meg Cabot’s books. Anda ada masalah? But you know what, reading these kind of books allow me to talk to my daughters on a few more levels. I particularly like Ms Cabot’s Boy series especially this book. I think Ms Cabot is quite a clever author. The entire novel is written in diary, e-mails, notes and PDA entries. Included are several clever illustrations. Despite, or perhaps because of, the unusual format, the story is charming, the characters very well drawn and I was pulled into the story from the very beginning. It was a fun, light-hearted story.

6. Playing for Pizza by John Grisham. I believe I’ve read almost all of Mr Grisham’s books (just like Lord Archers’ books). This title is among his few fictions that’re not really legal related but definitely one of the most enjoyable books by the author (and I do like his other books). The novel is about an itinerant American football player who can no longer get work in the National Football League and whose agent, as a last resort, signs a deal for him to play for the Parma Panthers, in Parma, Italy. The quarterback's move to a small city in a foreign land leads to a series of cultural misadventures.

7. Keluarga Gerilya by Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Okay, this book was part of my compulsory reading when I was in Form 6 in early 80s. It was written in 1950, after Pramoedya’s release from Dutch custody, Keluarga Gerilya charts the complete and absolute annihilation of a nationalistic Indonesian family, triggered by the fight for independence from colonial rule. It is a painful novel to read, overflowing with anguish, despair and disillusionment. This was a family that lost everything, even humanity, as it charted an unwavering path to freedom. Simply heart wrenching.

8. The Secret Mountain by Enid Blyton. Growing up like many kids, of course, I read Ms Blyton’s books too. Of all the adventures, this one stuck in my mind for as long as I remember. I guess that’s because the Secret Mountain was the first Enid Blyton book that I ever read. My brother Chor bought this title and we became Enid Blyton kakis forever. And till today, I can still picturing myself joining Mike, Jack, Peggy and Nora, together with Prince Paul, flying off to the heart of Africa on a dangerous mission. They are my childhood friends, you know?

9. Harry Porter Series by J.K Rowling. Then I grew up, and I hooked up Harry, Hermione and Ron instead. Okay, I can’t possibly pick any of the seven books to be my favourite here (don’t want to and how can you?). But to me, the series provide me serious entertainment. Oh by the way, Harry Porter series have been sold in more than 300 million copies worldwide and are translated into more than 63 languages.

10. 1511H Kombat by Faisal Tehrani. I was told of the book by my cousin Meor Hamzah. Set in the futurustic year of 2087, this book saw Faisal merging occidentalism with the spirit of mystic chivalry. It also opened up my eyes that there are many good books in BM. Very interesting read, indeed. Apparently, there are people in Germany who thought this book was cool and wanted to translate it. (The book is being used as text in one of the universities in Germany).

Okay, now that I have successfully list my favourite, I think I would like to read about your top 10 books too... do share!!! I tag Yah and Anom first....

Hari Bumi

2009-04-23T00:05:00.003+08:00

Once in a while, I can be ignorant (okay, okay.... most of the time la) ... like when I picked up Asma and Arissa from school this evening. As the girls settled in the car... we had this conversation:

Asma: Happy Earth Day, Bapak!!!!
Bapak: Huh?
Arissa: Today is Earth Day la, Bapak!!!
Bapak: Yang hari tu kita tutup lampu bagai and makan dinner dalam gelap tu apa?
Asma: Laaaa... tu Earth Hour la... lain la...
Bapak: Oooooo ya ke?

Feeling suitably idiotic for not being aware of the Day, upon reaching home, I googled Earth Day and I found this CNN report:

LONDON, England -- More than one billion people were expected to mark Earth Day Wednesday April 22. Since its creation by United States senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970, Earth Day's reach has spread around the world and is now marked in about 175 countries.

Earth Day Network, the organizers of Earth Day, are launching the "Green Generation" campaign. The campaign will last two years and Earth Day's organizers hope it will raise awareness on how to reverse dangerous environmental trends.

Okay, Selamat Hari Bumi semua!!! Let's save the planet!!!!

Coffee, anyone?

2009-04-20T17:51:00.002+08:00

Growing up, I never did drink any coffee (or any of those hot drinks for that matter). I simply cannot “tahan” as a sip will resulted with me throwing up big time. So I only drink air kosong and fruit juices. Until I went to college where somehow, almost everybody drank coffee especially during exam weeks. As I wanted to be part of the “in” caffeine crowd (and I don’t smoke either, also cannot tahan), slowly I attempted to drink coffee. I started off with black coffee first (as coffee with milk still made my stomach queasy), and not long after I became a serious coffee drinker.

Then when I was already working, Delifrance opened in Klang Valley and along with it, I was introduced to Cappucino. And ever since, I became a Cappucino lover as well (but espresso never grow on me). Then when I got married, I found the beautiful woman I’m married to is a Nescafe addict. Wow. For the first few years of our marriage, she needed her Nescafe fix every morning but the wife has somehow managed to shake off the habit as now a sip of Nescafe would send her into severe gastric condition. I guess, it’s good for her!!!

As for me, today I’m a full fledged coffee drinker. I don’t see myself as coffee addict though as I drink only ice coffee in the morning, afternoon and at night. (sounds like in denial right?). But I don’t go for gourmet coffee la (of Starbucks variety)... that’s too damn expensive for me.

Which bring me to this site http://www.squidoo.com/coffeefacts. Yep, that's right. The site features trivia about coffee. Imagine, coffee has influenced me so much so that I even google coffee in my spare time.

Anyway, like me, perhaps you can use these facts to impress your friends and family, probably. But, be prepared for their response being "get a life!"

Some of the interesting facts found in the website are:

* Only 27% of US coffee drinkers add a sweetener to their coffee (remembered once when I was on assignment in Hawaii, a nice American PR lady asked me how do I take my coffee. I answered,” Black, please!”. She then handed me the most bitter coffee I’ve ever tasted - kalau ya pun bubuh la sikit gula).
* The world's largest coffee producer is Brazil with over 3,970 million coffee trees.(okay I learned this like 30 years ago in Ilmu Alam)
* Coffee beans are really berries
* Most coffee is transported by ships. Currently there are approximately 2,200 ships involved in transporting coffee beans each year. (really!???)
* Over 53 countries grow coffee worldwide, but all of them lie along the equator between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. (Malaysia is one of them, right?)
* Cowboys made their coffee by putting ground coffee into a clean sock and immerse it in cold water and heat it over a campfire. When ready, they would pour the coffee into tin cups and drink it. (eeewwww)
* Both the American Revolution and the French Revolution were born in coffee houses. (imagine a local revolution begins from a White Coffee Kopitiam)
* Turkish bridegrooms were once required to make a promise during their wedding ceremonies to always provide their new wives with coffee. If they failed to do so, it was grounds for divorce (pardon the pun).

Now, I’m thirsty oredy. Let’s go and have a cuppa?