Virtual Malaysia

Ini kami at 3.30am still at the office. Let me introduce my office mates - Ezali, Arida, Linda, Suhaila, Edward, Asiah and Me.

The company I worked with is on cloud nine. Their effort to get the Virtual Malaysia portal to be endorsed by the Tourism Ministry as the Tourism Malaysia official portal finally came after like zillion times of false alarm. The launch and announcement was held last Monday. Everybody from the office were there except me. Why? Because I went back home at 5.30am that morning and I was thinking to have a short nap before I drive over to MTC, Jalan Ampang before the launch starts at 11am.

Balik rumah, tidur and bila bangun sudah 12.30 noon. Ha ha ha. Padan muka. Ini ler penangan kalau tak tidur malam 2 hari berturut-turut.

However, for all its shortcomings, I must say that the people at the Virtual Malaysia office are one very passionate bunch and most of them are willing to work beyond the call of duty. Susah nak cari this kind of people at most companies today, tambah-tambah a Bumiputra company. I should know, I've worked with many companies before. Now if only they could pay me a little bit more....

Tahniah to all.

Tazkirah Syaaban

Ramadan hampir menjelang. Apa kata kita berkongsi sedikit peringatan kali ini.

1. Mayat yang mukanya berpaling dari arah kiblat. Itulah petanda bahawa semasa hidupnya telah melakukan perkara syirik kepada Allah. Kawan-kawan syirik ini jangan buat main-main, dosa yang paling besar dalam Islam. Kekal dalam neraka selama-lamanya.

2. Mayat yang mukanya berbentuk khinzir. Itulah petanda semasa hidupnya tidak melakukan solat lima waktu, tidak menjaga solatlima waktu. Lalai dalam solatnya. Sesungguhnya solat dapat mencegah diridari melakukan perbuatan keji dan mungkar. Perbuatan keji dan mungkar ini banyak, bukan hanya berduaan ditempat gelap, minum arak, berjudi sahaja. Tak tutup aurat juga perbuatan keji. Bayangkanlah sejak dari baligh lagikawan-kawan tak pernah tutup aurat, berapa banyak dosa yang telah dikumpulkan. Siksa api neraka amat pedih oii.... Kalau kawan-kawan nak tahu bagaimana rasa 1/70 bahang (kalau tak silap) api neraka kawan-kawan cubalah cucuh hujung jari kawan-kawan dengan api, macam mana rasanya? Boleh tahan tak?

3. Mayat yang kepala menjadi batu yang hitam legam. Itulah mayat yang semasa hidupnya derhaka kepada kedua ibu-bapa.

4. Mayat yang perutnya buncit dan meletup. Itulah mayat yang semasa hidupnya suka makan harta yang haram. Harta yang haram banyak contohnya. Antaranya mencuri... harta yang haram. Merompak... harta haram. Melesapkan duit kawan... harta yang haram.

5. Mayat yang kukunya mengcengkam dan meliliti seluruh tubuhnya. Itulah mayat yang semasa hidupnya suka berkelahi, mengata orang dan mengumpat orang.

6. Mayat yang keluar mata air dari kuburnya dan air itu baunya lebih busuk dari bangkai. Itulah mayat orang yang suka makan riba'.

7. Mayat yang wajahnya tersenyum. Itulah mayat yang semasa hidupnya berilmu dan beramal soleh.

Bapak and I

Hari ni belajar macam mana nak scan gambar kat office. Pathetic, right? Baru sekarang nak belajar... Anyway, hari ni scan dua gambar lama - Allahyarham my bapak and I. As for my gambar, sempena nak puasa ni, scan ler yang kurus punyer, kot-kot boleh menjadi macam tu balik. Fat Hopes!


This is me circa 1990-91. The place was Computimes office at the NSTP old buidling. We were on the second floor. Masa ni, new (current) building was still under construction. Computimes then was still in a small room at the back of Business Times and NSTP library. Very the ceruk one. And there were six of us in that crammed room - from my desk it was only lima langkah aje ke pintu and my place was at the end of the room.




Arwah Bapak kat depan rumah di Temoh. Masa ni awal tahun 80an tak pu late 70s, tak ingat dah tapi masa ni dia nak gi kerja tapi kami anak-anak dia suruh pose dulu. Pintu warna purple tu pun dah tak de sebab masa buat renovation rumah tahun 1986, it was decided to turn that living room into master bedroom. I am now a father myself and so are my brothers - Chor and Mi. I think all three of us are mirror images of our Bapak. My brothers and I are very close to our children and wives. Just like Bapak. Sayang dia tak sempat jumpa cucu-cucu dia. Dan menantu-menantu dia, err except of course Yan.

Photo Race 2006

Last Friday, saya ke Melaka. Saya dihantar oleh boss untuk mewakili office untuk acara Photo Race sempena Photo Fest Carnival 2006. Selain saya, Zainal the photographer and Hafiz yang jadi driver turut serta.

What do I know about photography? Nothing would be the best answer and the only answer. Jadi it’s a great mystery jugaklah why the office picked me to join in. I was a bit hesitant as usual sebab satu kerja menambun kat office and most importantly the family tak ikut sekali. Apa ke jadahnya seronok.

The golden rule of pergi berjalan-jalan is to go with the people that you like and comfortable with. And in my book, that would be my family, and only my family.

However, I must admit that I was a bit excited jugak initially as I was under the impression that this would be something similar like the Amazing Race ker or at the very least the Explorace but I was dumbfounded when data tahu bahawasanya task race ni hanyalah untuk mengambil gambor-gambor aje. Boleh? Like how boring can it be!

And Ya Rabbi! It was boring to the maximum. Dahlah kena bangun awal pagi untuk catch Komuter then change to LRT to Dang Wangi sewaktu hari masih gelap gelita. They told me that the race starts at 8am from MTC in Jalan Ampang. Sampai kat Dang Wangi, menapak ler pulak ke MTC. Sampai2 aje, found out that the race starts at 10.30am after the launch of Photo Fest carnival.

The race was very the uneventful. First we were asked to take picture of Putra Mosque kat Putrajaya. Then proceed to Seremban Museum. How exciting, eh?

Lepas tu gi PD, kat sini adaler sedikit excitement sebab ada laut, and lepas tu singgah tengok extreme sport kat Extreme park. Quite interesting jugak rupanya the buggy and the ATV ni at close range.

Lepas tu singgah kat Eagle Ranch dan singgah amik gambar kat one jeti memancing dan lepas tu ke Nusa Dusun Orchard. By this time, hari dah petang dalam pukul 6. We rushed through the coastal road of Melaka until Pengkalan Balak or something.

Lepas menghabiskan masa kat tepi laut tah kat mana tah, we finally arrived kat Riviera Bay Hotel by 7.45pm. Naik bilik, mandi manda, turun makan jap, and then naik atas balik untuk apa lagi tidor ler. By 7.00am the next morning we checked out and pergi ambik gambar sikit lagi kat Bandar Melaka. By 12 something we were back at MTC.

Itu sajalah keseronokan yang dilalui.

Orang menangguk udang di laut Melaka. Masa ni hujan tapi abang tu tetap menjalankan kewajipan mencari rezeki. Insaf ler kejap.

Ini Zainal tengah dok pujuk makcik jual ikan tepi laut untuk bergambar

This is probably my best shot ever. Eversince forever. Cantikler jugak kan?

Extreme sports, participants dok sibuk amik gambar

Kami pergi naik Land Cruiser office. Itu Hafiz tengah naik buai. I will never buy a Land Cruiser. Siksa nak turun naik kereta. Dah lah badan berat.

Putra Mosque dari Lake Club

Orang Kayu

Alia and Arissa dengan Pakcik Kayu mereka

Hari ni masa we were on our way back home from Stesen Komuter - the ladies were picking me up after my trip to Melaka - we saw a carnival like atmosphere kat Caltex Station near our place. Saw beberapa orang kayu berlegar-legar di situ and decided to ambik gambar with one. Ini lah dia orang kayu tuh. Lepas amik gambar kami pun belah.