tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-299630322024-03-14T14:04:33.815+08:00The Talk Shop......Amalgam of all things seen_er ....Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger185125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-67750574611803726312020-06-03T06:43:00.001+08:002020-06-03T06:43:00.598+08:00The Morning After The Good bye, Vol. 1Imran woke up at 5.15am on the dot for the morning sahur. He sat at the edge of the bed, his eyes adjusting to the lights. Immediately as if on cue, his thoughts goes back to her. He would've texted her to bid his salam and good morning and to ask what's for sahur on her side. Sometimes she'd reply almost immediately, more often than not it would be towards the later part of the morning. Either way, he enjoyed the anxiety that comes with waiting for her reply.<div><br></div><div>His brother popped his head at the door and asked him whether he would to have sahur. He nodded and signaled that he would be joining him soon. </div><div><br></div><div>He then reached for his phone, scrolled the message and silently wished to see 'Assalamualaikum and g' morning Imran ' but he knew it will not be there.</div><div><br></div><div>I miss you, my friend. </div><div><br></div><div>Imran walked out of his room to join his brother for sahur... </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-27060732588039388222020-06-02T20:32:00.000+08:002020-06-02T20:34:06.027+08:00The Night After The Goodbye, Part 1Imran stared again at the screen.<br />
<br />
<i>Arrived in KL. Thanks for the crumble. Sedap!</i><br />
<br />
It must have taken her close to 5 hours plus to reach Hentian Duta from Sungai Petani. Traffic must be quite light, he said to himself. He put down the phone and went to the kitchen. It is after all about 15 minutes before maghrib and he happens to be fasting today. While unpacking the mee goreng he bought earlier, his mind began wander about the how during ramadan they would be exchanging messages and updating each other on what dish they had for the buka.<br />
<br />
It dawned upon him that he misses her.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-89985985786878097502020-06-02T11:22:00.001+08:002020-06-02T11:22:12.614+08:00The GoodbyeThanks to the driving skill of his brother in his trusted Kancil EXi, he managed to arrived there in the nick of time.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Imran alighted from the car and thanked his brother profusely. His brother smiled and motioned him to quickly do what he intended to by coming here. The express bus terminal at Ukir Square, located by the UTC Sg Petani stood before him. He made his way to the teminal and started to scan the area for the bus she told him she would be taking. Various buses of colours and destination near and far were parked waiting for their passengers to board. After a few searches he finally found the double decker Cosmic Express, emblazoned in a fiery red livery, bound for Kuala Lumpur.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
He scanned the passengers around and couldn't catch the sight of her. The passengers haven't started boarding yet so it is easier to look for her among the crowd gathering around the bus. Doubts started to crept in. Did he get the right bus company ? Is it the right departure time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
He had said his good byes over the phone. Messages, call and all. There was nothing unpure about. It was friendship at its best. He harbored no ill intention or any unpure thoughts. He just enjoys being a friend to her.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A chance meeting while taking the same train back to SP rekindled an old friendship that dated back to the old Maktab days. After exchanging numbers, they bade farewell to their respective house and didn't thought much about it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Until of course when the MCO started to kick in and with not much opportunity to venture out, he started to contact her via Whatsapp. What started as hi and bye became full fledge conversations just about anything under the sun. Never has he felt so comfortable being with someone, as a friend no doubt, like he feels with her.</div>
<div>
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<div>
The announcement for passangers bound for KL on Cosmic Express blared over the intercom. Passengers started to queue up but she is still not in sight. Suddenly, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned around and there she stood before her, smiling and asking him in a bewildered tone.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"What are you doing here, Imran? You didn't tell me you are coming to send me off?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
He felt so relief at the sight of her. "I wanted to say a proper good bye to you. I also want to thank you for the best 80 days and 79 nites I have had, with our talks and chats. It wouldn't be proper for me to not say to you in person."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Her smiled grew wilder. "Thank you too, Imran. I thoroughly enjoyed it too. All those stories, chats and anecdotes. Definitely a thing I won't forget for a long long time. Funny that we weren't this close in our school days, kan? Imran, I do have to go. My bus will leave without me nanti"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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"Sure, I know. But nah, here's something for you.Bekal for your bus ride. I did promise this kan" He handed her a tupperware which he has been carrying since he left his house.</div>
<div>
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<div>
She looked surprised and asked,"What's in this?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Well, once you are in the bus, take a peak. Apologies in advance if tak sedap, hehehe"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Will do. Imran, I need to leave. I'll text you once I have safely arrived. Insya Allah, when you are next in KL, do not be a stranger ok?"</div>
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<div>
"Ok, have a safe trip..take care. Enjoy the thing I gave"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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As the bus departed the terminal, she put the tupperware on her lap and took off the lid. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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She smiled her sweetest smile.</div>
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Contained in the tupperware is a freshly baked Apple Crumble ....</div>
<div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-43313863257328260532011-02-24T10:33:00.004+08:002011-02-24T10:43:49.191+08:00The National LibraryI can't remember the last time I was at the National Library; it must've been during my PPP/ITM days so that's about 16 years ago. <div><br /></div><div>I somehow mixed up my appointment time, leaving me with 2.5 hours to spare. With the exhorbitant parking rates in KLCC area, I decided to find either find 1) a free place where I can park my car and use my laptop or 2) a place where parking for two hours won't cost me more than my lunch. I decided to drive over to the National Library and with its ample free parking, decided that this would be a really nice place to spend two hours and catch up on my work. I registered myself here and maybe the next time I am in KL for a meeting, I could always drop by here and read.</div><div><br /></div><div>p/s To the anonymous MCOB who commented on my earlier posting on my English, I would really appreciate it you could contact me at azlan@mcoba.org. I would certainly like to improve on the quality of my posting and I am sure you could help me with that.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-16609956284460681522011-01-13T12:24:00.007+08:002011-01-16T13:26:03.966+08:00MCOBA Jalan Jalan Cari Makan #4<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/TS6ANtHNbLI/AAAAAAAAAC8/uS34z7Ez6-g/s1600/18.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561523562785631410" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/TS6ANtHNbLI/AAAAAAAAAC8/uS34z7Ez6-g/s320/18.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/TS6AB9NVp9I/AAAAAAAAAC0/yoEcWiV9yJw/s1600/10.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561523360947873746" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/TS6AB9NVp9I/AAAAAAAAAC0/yoEcWiV9yJw/s320/10.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/TS5_sm8nz2I/AAAAAAAAACs/y1U6-u1tdoI/s1600/03.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561522994194927458" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/TS5_sm8nz2I/AAAAAAAAACs/y1U6-u1tdoI/s320/03.JPG" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/TS5_OVL5Z3I/AAAAAAAAACk/EJv2Ul0H0J8/s1600/00.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561522474031081330" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/TS5_OVL5Z3I/AAAAAAAAACk/EJv2Ul0H0J8/s320/00.JPG" /></a><br />Sdr Salim '75, MCOBA JPM for Networking started a very interesting activity to promote MCOB-owned eateries via the Jalan Jalan Cari Makan (JJCM) series. Each time, one MCOB-owned is chosen and everyone would eat their heart out and go dutch on the final bill. I missed the first three but managed to join the fourth installment at Al Andalus Restaurant, Jalan Delima, KL. <div> </div><div> </div><div>Pictures courtesy of Sdr Zahid Serpent '78</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-64908363500304775212011-01-06T18:20:00.004+08:002011-02-24T11:03:58.889+08:0016th December 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/TTLPXoVHtII/AAAAAAAAADU/xKemN3WVsfw/s1600/18122010260.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/TTLPXoVHtII/AAAAAAAAADU/xKemN3WVsfw/s320/18122010260.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562736494625928322" /></a><br /><div><br /></div>On this magical date, my second son, Amir Zharif came into the world at 8.57am, tipping the scale at 4.93kg.<br /><br />Zharif outweighed his elder brother Amir Haris by more than 300g and also outgrowned him by 1cm.<br /><br />However, we were put through a very anxious two weeks as Amir Zharif was detained at the hospoital; one day in the NICU and the rest in the 3rd floor nursery.<br /><br />Cause : Fast respiration from birth.<br /><br />All sorts of test was done on him, but Alhamdulillah, the doctors gave him a clean bill of health.<br /><br />Welcome the world, Son.. and welcome to the family.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-87737710595980633452010-07-14T11:45:00.003+08:002011-01-16T19:07:29.493+08:00Changing Times<div><br /></div>In 14 years, a lot of things have changed.<div><img src="http://www.cs.wisc.edu/images/UW_huge_logo.gif" /><br /><br />In '96, when I first registered at UW-Madison, the business undergraduate programme was ranked #13 in the US.<br /><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/40/95090099_13eb8586c7.jpg" /><br /><div><br />Money Magazine named Madison as the #1 city to live in.<br /><br />In 2010, UW-Madison's ranking is #40<br />Money Magazine ranked Madison at #95.<br /><br />Gosh...</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-69380403551907143052010-07-14T10:49:00.002+08:002010-07-14T10:52:04.276+08:00Good MarketingGet this.. China Press reported that Macau's Gambling King, Stanley Ho sent his personal jet to pick up 88 durians from Singapore. Talk about love for the King of Fruits.<br /><br />Now, get this. The durians are from the Musang King variety, FROM MALAYSIA...<br /><br />... why must he buy Malaysian durian in Singapore ?<br /><br />.. it's all in the marketing... (the Singapore Lychee thing comes to mind, heheh)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-55924345689742782022010-07-14T10:46:00.002+08:002010-07-14T10:49:01.957+08:00Joint Bid For World Cup ?It was reported in the news that Malaysia would consider a joint bid with Indonesia to host the World Cup.<br /><br />Huh..? World Cup of what ?<br /><br />Our team is languising in the 100s ranking. Before we can even consider such ambitious undertakings, please get the team's ranking to at least the top 99 ranked.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-53337057936130211252010-07-09T15:54:00.003+08:002010-07-09T16:45:59.051+08:00World CupI am not a die hard soccer fan. I do not go ga-ga over EPL matches at mamak stall and sometimes I think our local newspaper are going overboard when reporting 3/4 of the sports section with EPL or other European league news whereas our own league is lucky enough to get 1/4 page of report.<br /><br />Anyway, befoe the World Cup started I made my mind to support Argentina. Except for Messi, I don't even know who is on the team but hey, with everyone talking about "their" team, I must have one too. Argentina did rather well, until of course, the famous drubbing by the German team.<br /><br />OK, lets support a better team (i.e the team that beat Argentina) but hey, even Paul the octopus is not putting his tantacles on that.<br /><br />Germany lost too..<br /><br />... Viva La Roja ??Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-28377124342175459742010-06-16T20:54:00.002+08:002010-06-16T21:02:16.660+08:00IS IT SAFE?Sometime last week, Honey Dearest and I decided to take elevated Kelana Jaya-Subang Jaya elevated route to go back home. It was around 5.15pm and we thought that traffic wouldn't be bad (sometimes you can see cars basically motionless on the entire stretch of the elevated portion). Our plan is to take the exit right after SJMC and head to Sunway Pyramid for a quick bite.<br /><br />OK, so the traffic is heavy and with the exit being an a very sharp angle and only a single lane, traffic starts to build up. The lady in the Myvi infront of us seemed to be utilising her time well, by putting up make up, at at times, I believe, removing some body hair (that was how it looked like from our car).<br /><br />The jam, we can take. However, the entire road was wobbly beneath of us. We really felt it as we we stationary most of the time. So, my question is... is the whole stretch safe ? I am no engineer, but I am sure when they plan for it, they must have calculated the loading etc. However, when they did the calculation, did they consider the weight of stationary cars on the entire stretch of the elevated portion ?<br /><br />Honey Dearest never wants to be on that road during peak hours, ever again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-57423859987362883712010-06-13T08:03:00.002+08:002010-06-13T08:11:15.502+08:00Alternative ProductsIt is always nice to have an alternative to the products you use or consume.<br /><br /><br /><br />We have in-store brand by hypermarkets of almost anythings, from laundry detergents to sausages.<br /><br /><br /><br />It is also nice to know that we have an alternative to Kentucky Fried Chicken.<br /><br /><br /><br />I have heard about Radix Fried Chicken for quite some time but since the outlets are only available in the north, I never had the chance to try it. However, a visit to Mydin Mall in Ayer Keroh, Melaka gave me the chance to try out the product.<br /><br /><br /><br />The taste is good and the price is reasonable.<br /><br /><br /><br />I will definitely come back for more.<br /><br /><br /><br />.. oh, do open one in Shah Alam or Subang Jaya, ye ?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-25088293619288534682010-05-17T17:04:00.002+08:002010-05-17T17:05:28.496+08:00BN LostSo, BN lost the Sibu parliamentary seat in the May 16th 2010 by-election.<br /><br />Warning bells in the East Malaysia, BN ?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-48429758892629252832010-04-26T18:13:00.002+08:002010-04-26T18:20:29.653+08:00BN WinsIn one of the most closely fought by-election, BN managed to come out on top with a 1,725 majority. The BN candidate, P. Kamalanathan of MIC beat PKR heavyweight Dato' Zaid Ibrahim in an electorate whose demographical composition is almost reflective of Malaysia at large.<br /><br />I am a fan of neither BN nor PR, but I feel this victory is good for both sides. For BN, it pays to be more on the ground (of course, many detractors will cry foul about the money being spent to "buy" support, but hey, if the situation is reverse, would it be any different?) and for PR, it is a wake-up call for them to be more realistic (and to come certain, be more humble and stop politicizing everything under the sun).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-12206877076844462642010-04-21T20:51:00.002+08:002010-04-21T21:00:29.422+08:00PoliticsIs politics really about the better of two evils ?<br /><br />I am not old enough to remember "the good old days" when politics was about "serving the community, the people, the country etc.". When I was old enough to understand (or take interest, yes, that would be the right word for it), Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim was going after Tun Ghaffar Baba for the Deputy Presidency of UMNO and everything thereafter was about being into politics to make money. Tonnes of money.<br /><br />I came back to Malaysia from my studies abroad right smack into the Reformasi times. It was indeed an interesting time and I contemplated into getting myself right smack in the thick of it but somehow refrain myself from doing so.<br /><br />Then the so-called "political tsunami" took place in 2008. I remember there was an eerie silent the following morning. Two years down the road, I definitely do not like where the country is heading. Instead of people uniting, I think it made people more divisive. There is now a clear divide between "us"and "them".<br /><br />Mana-mana pihak yang menang, sama aje.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-12748262300452683452010-03-14T15:57:00.000+08:002010-03-14T15:58:49.946+08:00To the lady driving a champagne colour Honda CR-V (MAV 8***) on ELITE highway, northbound to KLIA on 13/03/2010 @ 6.20pm<span style="font-style: italic;">From my Facebook Note</span><br /><br />I am not a confrontational person by nature. I think the people who knew me would attest to that. However, what happened just two hours ago, well, to put it mildly... pisses me off..<br /><br />So, what actually happened ?<br /><br />I was driving back from Melaka, with the missus, my son Haris (who is already 1.5 years old) and my maid. We went back to visit my father in law who had to have an emergency surgery due to an infection to his right foot. So, there we were in the ever reliable Perodua Kembara, driving within the stipulated speed limit (in a full time 4WD like a Kembara, I can be assured of not getting a speeding ticket since there is just so much I can floor the pedal) and was about 3KM from the KLIA exit. I was in the middle lane and I wanted to overtake the car in front of me. Looking at the rear view mirror, I saw a Honda CR-V in the far distance, so I turned my indicator signal and started to overtake*. Within moments, the champagne-colour Honda CR-V was tailing me so close that I could feel the car was barely inches away. After over taking, I turned the indicator signal again and entered the middle lane again. This is when the CR-V drove passed me and the long haired lady driver gave me a look as she was passing by as if saying "Get out of my f****** way you f***** kembara" or "I drive a Honda CR-V as opposed to your Kembara so I have more rights than you on this highway". The car got in front of me and continue to drive leftwards and took the KLIA exit. It was then that I saw the MAV8*** plate number and the "A*** **** Oldboys" sticker on its back windscreen.<br /><br /><span> Granted, you may be late to the airport to fetch your husband/parents/maid/frien</span><div><wbr><span class="word_break"></span>d but what gives you the right to drive like that. If you don't want to be late, just leave your house a bit earlier. Don't have to endanger other people on the road.<br /><br />To the wife of the A*** **** oldboy in the champagne colour Honda CR-V (MAV 8***), I don't give a rat's a** if you want to drive like a freakin' boy racer high on ecstasy but when your driving poses a risk to my family on board, here's what I can say to you...<br /><br />...."**** ***"<br /><br />I really really wish you are on FB and you can read this.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-1959848629422175992010-01-18T12:28:00.001+08:002010-01-18T12:34:06.179+08:00Pics.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/S1PkgyOt58I/AAAAAAAAABs/n4WO-Zo6xlQ/s1600-h/01012010207.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427933227802027970" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/S1PkgyOt58I/AAAAAAAAABs/n4WO-Zo6xlQ/s320/01012010207.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-76217934367178778062010-01-16T23:02:00.005+08:002010-01-17T07:59:35.260+08:00Ramblings on a saturday night..<span style="font-style: italic;">Aku bosan betul le dengan ADUN aku ni. Ada dalam facebook. Selalu la menghantar status update yang asyik mengutuk segala tindakan yang di ambil oleh govt of the day. Semua salah. Dia sorang aje yang betul. Parti dia aje yang betul. Parti dia aje yang truly Malaysian (ye lah tu... ramai orang lupa sejarah).<br /><br />... no one says jangan pakai FB or Twitter, cuma bila pakai kena la jaga ethics and segala apa yang di post tu kena lah di analyze sebelum percaya bulat2.<br /><br />... menteri tu was refering to the posting done by that chap who said he witness the devices being made in the church attacks, which was proven to be totally false.</span><span class="UIStory_Message"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />.... and yg bagi comment bila dia buat this kind of remarks dalam facebook, tok sah cerita la. Kadok naik junjung...<br /><br />.... tu pun masih nak berpecah belah lagi ....<br /><br />.. bila nak sedar ??!!!<br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-80169706892657155332010-01-15T15:02:00.004+08:002010-01-18T10:55:54.175+08:00Fatherhood<div>I am blessed with a very very adorable boy, Amir Haris. Can't believe he is already a year plus today. Feels like it was only yesterday when I first held him in my arms after Honey Dearest gave birth to him at SJMC. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427905914109015410" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/S1PLq6y1tXI/AAAAAAAAABk/Tfix_IGqu50/s320/01122009185.jpg" /><br /><br />Haris is no longer walking, he is basically running around!</div><div> </div><div>I entered fatherhood without even the experience of having siblings. You see, I am the only child in the family. </div><div> </div><div>When Honey Dearest was pregnant with Haris, I always asked myself whether I can be a good father. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-308583412893415482010-01-15T14:36:00.004+08:002010-01-15T14:48:10.785+08:00Alternative this Alternative thatWe have so many people championing alternative views, under guise of so many different things.<br /><br />Alternative ways of governing for instance.<br /><br />Apparently, we were told that we have been "screwed" by the people who have been governing us for the 50 years or so.<br /><br />Its refreshing to have alternatives, be it view or way of doing things.<br /><br />However, what annoys me is that this people championing these alternative views think they could do no wrong. Everything being done by the establishment is wrong. Any actions taken by the people who are not for the alternatives are wrong.<br /><br />What kind of alternative are we being presented here ?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-76904353852597320312010-01-14T00:42:00.002+08:002010-01-14T00:48:20.108+08:00Mission: Possible prt 2Ok, I may not have achieved my target yet but from mid September 2009 until 31 Dec 2009, I have lost a total of 8kg...<br /><br />... and the pants are fitting nicely !Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-23494729477170209772009-10-07T12:23:00.002+08:002009-10-07T13:42:11.202+08:00Mission : Possible ? Prt 1The doctor was quite straighforward.<br /><br />"If you want to live longer, you better do something about your weight now"<br /><br />The fasting month provided a useful kickstart to weight loss as I usually dropped a few pounds (which would gained back by the second day of Aidilfitri). This time I would like to try as much as I can to keep it off and even more.<br /><br />Alhamdulillah, I am able to maintain some of the weight I have loss (well, plus minus here and there).<br /><br />... who knows, I can put on my Oscar De La Renta suit which I only wore once during my graduation... way back in 1997...<br /><br />... Impossible ?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-35455321446052667442009-09-28T10:37:00.002+08:002009-09-28T13:49:31.235+08:00Keeping it offOne of the best thing about Ramadhan is the almost assured weight loss. This is especially so if one does not splurge on the delicacies at the Bazaar Ramadhan.<br /><br />I managed to shed some pounds.<br /><br />... thats the easy part...<br /><br />.... after a week of Aidilfitri, the question is whether I can keep it off...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-59451336802173825762009-09-25T12:23:00.003+08:002009-09-25T13:09:09.593+08:00Eid Mubarak<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/SrxPrf1ckuI/AAAAAAAAABc/TnZLsC_RYkA/s1600-h/DSC00834.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385266863126909666" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_91UxBCah4oo/SrxPrf1ckuI/AAAAAAAAABc/TnZLsC_RYkA/s320/DSC00834.JPG" /></a><br /><div><em>Two Days Before</em><br /><br />We started our journey back to Hutan Percha, Melaka at around 10am (despite my earlier plan of leaving no later than 9am, in order to avoid the traffic congestion on the highway). My sis-in-law who is studying in Terengganu arrived in KL early in the morning and joined us for the drive. Traffic was amazingly clear (even at the usual Nilai, R&R and Seremban exit) and we arrived around 11.45am. Everyone were already back home except for my bro in law Azlan who would only be coming back tonight. Along got in on thursday, so too did Suhada. It was also the first time I met Along's son Raziq, whom Kak Ana gave birth in July. Haris now has another cousin to boss around, hehe!<br /><br />In the evening, Along, Kema, Suhada and I went to the Pasar Ramadan in Alor Gajah. Talk about an IT savvy town, even the Medan Selera has frew WiFi. I can picture the UiTM Lendu students typing on their laptop at the Medan Selera, while savouring the cucur udang the town is famous for!<br /><br />For the most part of it, everyone was fussing around Haris, who is happy to show his newfound mobility and his vocal cords. Haris somehow takes a bit of time to warm up to people but with Great grandma, he seemed to hit it off immediately.<br /><br /><em>The Day Before Eid</em><br /><br />Early in the morning, I followed Along and Mak to Selandar to pick up the beef for the rendang. Selandar is about 15 minutes drive from Hutan Percha. Mak told me that the meat supplier has his own cattle farm and usually during festivities like Eid, he only takes orders in advance. Oh, and he also drives a brand new Mercedes E240 :)<br /><br />The rest of the day is spent with the normal spring cleaning and cooking preparation. The menu for the Eid would be as follows:<br /><br />1. Nasi Himpit & Ketupat<br />2. Rendang Ayam (Mak bought lotsa chicken at Mydin MITC)<br />3. Rendang Cili Padi<br />4. Lemang<br />5. Kuah Kacang<br />6. Sup tulang<br /><br /><em>The BIG day.. Eid</em><br /><br />Everyone woke up very early. Luckily there was no mad rush for the toilets and bathroom. After one month of fasting, its time to celebrate the "victory", as prescribed by Allah in the Holy Al-Quran. Haris, Honey Dearest and I put on our matching maroon baju melayu and baju kurung and Haris looked extremely cute in it. It was off to the mosque for the solat sunat aidilfitri and after the performing the solat, we went to the Tanah Perkuburan to recite the tahlil for Arwah Datuk. The community here has this Mass Tahlil and in no time, it was full of family members visiting the grave of the departed.<br /><br />My classmate from MCKK, Jani, hails from Hutan Percha and his house is not far from ours. Kema and Suhada joined us but unfortunately Jani had to stay back in KL because her mother in law was admitted to the hospital.<br /><br />The whole family then headed to Tampin to have our family potrait taken at the photo studio (this so reminds me of the Lat cartoon, heheh) and imagine my surprise when almost all the phot studios are packed. We had to wait for about 45 minutes before we were ushered into the studio and had our family potrait taken.<br /><br />It was then visits to relatives houses. More food and drinks. Darn, I need to maintin my weight loss!<br /><br />Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin to all !</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29963032.post-49169882507531297162009-09-15T10:04:00.003+08:002009-09-15T11:39:42.705+08:00Menjelang SyawalIt has been an interesting Ramadan for me this year.<br /><br />First and foremost, I was down with viral fever for most of the first half of Ramadhan. It was quite a harrowing experience, with me being on bed most of the time. It started before the fasting month and I guess I officially recoverd on the 15th Ramadhan. Luckily it wasn't H1N1 but just as precaution, I was prescribed the the anti-viral alternative to Tamiflu and I believe I became one of the statistic for ILI (Influenza-like illness), heheh! Alhamdulillah, I have recovered (and lose some weight too!)<br /><br />The thing about not being well is that I miss a lot of Tarawih prayers at the mosque. I confess, I am one of the Gang of 8 (read: lepas 8 rakaat, cabut balik!) and instead of performing it at the surau near my house, I opt for the SS19 moque (for obvious reasons, you should be able to guess!).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0