P. Ramlee

I cut and paste this article from an email I received recently. Read it and maybe you can learn something.

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Question: Di Mana Kan Ku Cari Ganti?

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Answer: Not in Malaysia

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Those who watched the heart wrenching P Ramlee documentary on the History Channel on Oct 31, 2010 must have gone to bed with a heavy heart. It transpired that Malaysia's one and only film icon had died penniless and shunned by the public, including his own colleagues.

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And the way it was done appears to have uncanny resemblances to what's happening today in Malaysia, almost 45 years after Ramlee returned to Malaysia.

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The documentary, narrated by British actor, Timothy Watson and was 12 years in the making included precious interviews by some of his friends,actors and actresses who had passed on. The underlying tone was one of profound melancholy.

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Ramlee, borne out of poverty along Caunter Hall Road at an Achenese community in Penang , had to endure the brutal Japanese occupation whose schools incidentally inculcated a certain discipline in him. In his formative years then, this discipline proved crucial as a founding platform for his eventual brilliance, creativity and innovation in film and music.

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He subsequently gained phenomenal success at Shaw brother's Jalan Ampas studios in Singapore. His success at Jalan Ampas was the apparent result of the studio's incredible milieu of experienced film crew,choreographers and directors which the Shaw brothers had assembled from India, Hong Kong and Indonesia. With the load of management and finance off his shoulders, Ramlee was able to thrive and focus on his talent of creating music, acting and eventually direction, screenplay and editing.

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The Shaw brothers invested and created such a conducive environment at Ampas that Singapore became the Mecca for the Malay film industry for anentire genre of actors and actresses from the whole of the Malay Archipelago from Pontianak to Penang to Medan. Apart from Ramlee, Ampas provided careers for other actors and actresses like Nordin Ahmad, S Kadarisman, Ahmad Daud, Normadiah, Saloma and Saadiah.

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But this talent could not have been developed without the expertise of directors such as BS Rajan, L Krishnan and Phani Majumdar. Directors such as Majumdar already had something like 15 years experience indirecting films in various languages in Calcutta and Bombay before they came to Singapore. It was on this wealth of experience that the Malay film industry flourished.

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Majumdar directed Ramlee in 'Anakku Sazali' which won Ramlee Best Actorin 1956. And when Majumdar returned to India, he discovered another great Indian actor, Feroz Khan and directed Khan in his first big hit 'Oonche Log' in 1965. Yes, it was happy times then at No 8 Jalan Ampas and Boon Kheng Road.

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But it had to end. Or so it seems.

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Things appear to have taken a turn for the worse during the confusion of the Malaysia-Singapore separation of 1963 when Lee Kuan Yew had trouble reigning a tight leash on trade unions involving Lim Chin Siong, and his own PAP leaders led by Che' Awang and Devan Nair.

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Ramlee appears to have been an inadvertent victim of the unions' unreasonable demands leading Shaw brothers to call it a day at Jalan Ampas when they couldn't keep up with unions' demands for higher pay.

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Other views suggest that Ramlee was poached and enticed to return to Malaysia which he did in 1964. Wrong step it seems. All promises in Malaysia were not kept by his new masters. Sounds very, very familiar here.

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Merdeka studios was poorly equipped and its rookie staffing meant the legend had to multitask which ended up eventually in him churning out shoddy movies. All 18 movies he directed in Malaysia flopped. Soundslike the same stories we hear from some of our Malaysians "trying" toreturn home from overseas.

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Ramlee lost his glitter, his money and his fame. His partner and colleague, HM Shah, tried to form a company called Perfima to enable Ramlee to relaunch his career and produce his dream of colour films. But Perfima apparently ended up in the hands of inexperienced and connected cronies leaving the talented Ramlee then, as in now, even as a Malay,blatantly unrecognised, ignored and out in the cold.

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The documentary brutally exposes how Ramlee tried in vain to set up PRamlee productions, but was again shut out by this country's media and entertainment industry including RTM. He had to sit in the canteen at Angkasapuri while Saloma had her own show in RTM! He could not secure any government aid, grants or 'Private Financial Initiatives' despite his passion for Malay music and culture.

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He tried to reinvent himself and sought a bank loan - but was rejected! With his wealth of experience and in his early 40s then, he should have easily qualified. Poor Ramlee didn't know that in Malaysia it is the"know who" that counts than the "know how". If he had known George Tan from the Carrian Group then, Ramlee may have received a few million from BMF without even having to pay back. Or he should have "nurtured" some connections like how some luminaries have.

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P Ramlee by now, tragically stressed out, overweight, disheveled,completely down and out with passion and spirit broken, had to now do almost any job he could including running mahjong tables and singing at weddings and other functions to put food on the table for his family. He had to live on rice and eggs.

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It was truly 'Air Mata di Kuala Lumpur' for Ramlee. A court summons aday prior to his death for being a guarantor finally tipped the balance and did him in when he suffered a massive heart attack and he died onMay 29, 1973 at the age of 44.

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On the day he died, there was no rice in his house. And Saloma had no money for his funeral. The man and legend, P Ramlee paid a very heavy price for returning to Malaysia. The country just did not have the infrastructure, manpower and expertise to accommodate his enormous talent.

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He would have been better off in Singapore even with the unions there.He would not have gone broke in the club and wedding scene there and perhaps Singapore TV could have given him a break as compared to our own RTM. All the belated accolades and titles were meaningless as far as the man himself was concerned. He died hopelessly broke and broken.

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The documentary is not only an eye opener but a very good case study for anyone contemplating returning home to Malaysia.

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Whether you are a scientist, engineer, accountant, doctor, etc, beware of the conditions enticing you to return.If your kid is an aerospace engineer, a naval architect or a transplant surgeon, it's a no brainer that he/she should not return at all unless you are absolutely sure the country has the infrastructure and skilled manpower to support these fields.

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Don't believe in these stories that you should come home to "help" and "develop" your areas of expertise. That's not going to happen. That sort of thing will only go to the chaps who have the connections. Assess any offer carefully and do not trust anyone including this government. Make certain all agreements are enforceable in Singapore and the UK.

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In retrospect P Ramlee, with no formal education but was able to compose more than 360 songs and 66 movies, probably returned to a society that was not developed nor had the brain power and skills to match up to his vision.

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In short he was just surrounded with a whole lot of officials and journalists with serious hangups who were not interested in the industry itself. There was no driving force like the Shaw brothers.

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And the prevailing attitude at that time and probably even now was and still is a third class mentality. In an environment such as this, no one with creativity, innovation, skills and brains can ever hope to survive let alone thrive.

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It's better they stay back where they can develop and nurture their talent.

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If a star as bright as Ramlee could be extinguished with such impunity,the rest are nothing. Ramlee and his entire family were wiped outfinancially despite his immense talent. But he remains still till this day, the Malay Archipelago's cinematic legend. With apologies...

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Hancur badan dikandung tanah

Budi baik dikenang juga

Biar alam hancur dan musnah

Jasa mu tetap dikenang juga

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My comments:

I watched the documentary. I was certainly a heart breaking one. I never thought a legend like P. Ramlee lived a hard and miserable life. We certainly didn't appreciate him enough (at least during his lifetime)

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However, I do not entirely agree with the writer. But I think the government should take this email seriously. This email is not just about P Ramlee. This email is a manifestation of public perception towads the government. Let's not start pointing fingers now. Like the writer said, this is a case study. Learn the mistake we made then, and never repeat it again.

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I believe Malaysia is not like Malaysia 37 years ago. There are initiatives taken by the government to fix things up. But I do agree that there are still people with third class mentality running around barking useless ideas and directions that would eventually benefit nobody but himself. These are the people we have to repell once and for all. But please, do not punish the country....

Berabuk dah ni Azrull

HAhahahaha.....

Those were the words of Amy. My number one reader! Thanks for being loyal to this blog Amy. You are the best.

It's been so long I just don't know where to start. So let's start with the ongoing Asian Games. Frankly, I'm satisfied my our athletes' performance so far. Some people are saying that Lee Chong Wei should have won the badminton final. But come on, anyone who has been following badminton knows that Lin Dan is Ching Wei's jinx. Chong Wei can beat any players in the world but not Lin Dan. So seeing him lost to Lin Dan, to me, is expected.

My real disappointment was in the doubles. Kien Kiat and Boon Heong didn't play their true potential. They did gave their best. But I think they themselves know it was not their peak performance. The Indons were great, but not that great. They just got lucky.

Takraw, also expected. The Thais are too strong for us. What worries me though is the emergence of countries like Korea, Japan and China into the sport. The once dominance of the sport by Thailand and Malaysia is finally penetrated. But that is not the worst yet, the worst is that Malaysia remains stagnant in the no. 2 spot. Thailand is way ahead of us and the others are catching up fast. I have a feeling that one day, we would be one of the minnows. So BUCK UP Malaysia!

The footballers on the other hand, were actually good. Seriously, before the games I gave them on up to the group stage. I never thought that they could qualify for the 2nd round. And the way they fought, were something to be proud of. Bear in mind, the team came to Guangzhou without six of the 1st eleven. After the 1st game, they lost another two key players. In the last group game, they lost three more players due to red cards. The red cards were actually bullshit!

The referee was obviously bias. Fine, the first red card was deserved. They guy shouldn't have kicked the ball out of frustration when he already got a yellow. He asked for it. But when the Australian referee gave a straight red card to the captain for protesting, that was so uncalled for. Yellow card yes, red card an obvious bias. Shame on him.

So, in the 2nd round, they played with a dilapidated squad, and yet, they lost fighting. To some people, that's more important. I see light at the end of the tunnel in this squad.

Hockey too is so far performing beyond expectation. They won three games and drew once. Still unbeatable. They will be playing their semi final match against India tomorrow. Hope they will do well. India is slightly stronger that us based on their performance in the Commonwealth Games. But in today's hockey, anything is possible. All the boys to do is believe in themselves and give the Indians too much respect. Hope they could at least win bronze to match the 98 and 2002 games. Good luck boys!

The rest of the Malaysian contingent are/were playing to expectation. Squash for example is for us to lose. Nicol and Azlan are simply in their own league. Swimming, athletics, are basically a platform for exposure to our athletes. we are just not there yet. But I think diving could deliver something. In fact they have delivered silver through the beautiful Leong Mun Yi (I really think she's adorable, don't you think?) and her partner. China is simply too good.

So now we have six gold. We need another three to achieve our target. Frankly, I think it would be impossible. But miracles do happen, and I hope it will happen to us.

Malaysia Boleh!!!!

p/s: ok tak entry ni Amy? :))

My Malaysia Day

Yesterday was Malaysia Day. I woke up at around 10!

Nope, I'm not proud of it. But it was holiday right?

The day went uneventful in the context of Malaysia Day. I didn't do anything Malaysia-ish. It was like the day was like any other public holiday. I thought it was supposed to commemorate something historical being it was the first time it was celebrated. But nothing actually happened.

My Malaysia Day started only at 9pm; thanks to National Geographic's 'A Leader's Legacy : Tun Abdul Razak'. It was an excellent documentary about the revered national leader. His early age, his studying years in London, his early political involvement, his struggles with Tunku Abdul Rahman to fight for the country independence, his rise to the throne of the premiership and his short lived tenure as the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

I feel that I know the late Tun Abdul Razak and the country better now. It is such a satisfying feeling.

After the documentary, I saw '1957 : Hati Malaya'. Such a lovely film. Infused with patriotism. If you haven't seen the movie. Give it a try. It is worth it to learn about our history. Get your family to watch it too. Especially the kids. They need to know where they come so that they would know where to go. Chewahhhh....

Anyways, that was my Malaysia Day. How was yours?

h.o.p.e

To murder a person is absolutely an heinous act. But to kill a person and then feed the remains to your pet bear, that would definitely make you the leading nominee for the 'Lowest of the Lowest Scum' award.

This guy must have undergone an operation to remove his heart since he seems to be so heartless. I'm not sure whether he is human or not because no humans in their sound mind would be capable of such gruesome act.

I'm also not sure whether the animal kingdom would take this guy as one of them. Animals kill for survival. That is their God given instinct. Even so, they still have mercy for their prey. Have you seen the video clip of a leopard trying to kill a monkey? Instead of devouring its kill, it took care of the monkey's infant out of pity. Now, that's surely a slap on the face to mankind huh?

I'm actually quite worried though. You see, the accused is a lawyer. He knows the law. He knows the loopholes in the system. Surely, he would make sure that his all his tracks were covered right? Remember, law only provides the opportunity for justice, not justice itself.

The end result would depends on how the men and women of the court interpret the law to suit their goals. The prosecution would go for the toughest punishment, while the defense team would do everything to let the accused off the hook.

The police are currently working tirelessly to form a solid case against the accused. But please bear in mind that their effort also rely on the suspects' carelessness to leave the evidence behind. Confessions alone are not enough. Hard evidences are vital.

Our only hope now, is that God will help us. Let's pray hard so that justice will prevail. Let's pray that good will triumph over evil. Insya Allah....

Sad

I just got to know that the lawyer who was murdered in the Datuk Sosilawati's case was the husband of a friend of mine. This is so sad. In fact, sad is an understatement. I hope that Allah will give her and the kids strength in this trying moment. Al-Fatihah.

Is This Story Necessary?

M'sian-born Penny Wong made Australia’s Finance Minister

MELBOURNE: Malaysian-born Senator Penny Wong (pic) is the new finance minister in the newly-elected Gillard Labor Government.

Wong had been keen to move from the climate change portfolio, following her failure to have parliament’s upper house (Senate) approve the government carbon pollution reduction scheme.

A hardworking minister, Wong’s promotion nonetheless, came as a surprise when Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced her ministry Saturday.

Born on Nov 11, 1968 in Kota Kinabalu, Wong takes over the finance portfolio left vacant by the high-profile Lindsay Tanner when he retired from federal politics in the Aug 31 election.

A former lawyer in Adelaide, Wong was elected to represent South Australia in the Senate in 2001 and was named minister in charge of climate change, energy efficiency and water when Kevin Rudd won office in 2007.

Gillard says, her new ministry delivers on a promise to establish a portfolio dedicated to regional Australia.

It will be headed by Simon Crean, previously responsible for education and workplace relations, and before that, trade.

The announcement on Saturday comes four days after her Labor Party secured the support of two rural independents to form minority government in the first hung federal parliament in 70 years.

Gillard earlier in the day announced former prime minister Kevin Rudd had been appointed foreign minister, replacing Stephen Smith, who moves to defence.

Greg Combet becomes climate change minister, a step up from his assistant role to Wong.

Mark Arbib, one of the factional power brokers responsible for bringing down Rudd, was not rewarded with a cabinet position. - Bernama

I do not see the need to publish this story. Just because she used to be Malaysian? Should us be proud of a FORMER Malaysian? I mean, why do we even care about someone who left her own country for others? Definitely she wasn't loyal, right?

Are we saying that the grass is greener elsewhere? Are we suggesting that Malaysians can be successful in other places once they revoke their Malaysian citizenship?

Is this another example of Malaysia Boleh spirit? Come onnnnnn......she's not even Malaysian anymore.

Well, this is just my opinion. Remember guys

HUJAN EMAS DI NEGERI ORANG

HUJAN BATU DI NEGERI SENDIRI

LEBIH BAIK DI NEGERI SENDIRI

Selamat Hari Raya

I think there's no need to blog about Hari Raya. It's merely the same every year. But I do feel more excited this year. I'm not sure why. I'm guessing because I had a good Ramadhan. I felt there is a reason to celebrate :) Insya Allah.....

Here's some pics.

Hmmm.....uploading is too slow. I can't afford to wait. Will upload the rest next time. Or maybe I'll upload it on FB :)

Ramadhan cum Raya entry

Two months hiatus. How time flies huh?

I cannot offer any reasons for I myself do not know the reasons for my silence. Hehehh....

So Raya is around the corner, and the excitement is slowly building up. Yup it's slow. But surely! My house is far from ready. My wife's requests to decorate the house had fallen into my deafened ears. Sorry Mama :) I will make it up to you ASAP.

The boys oredi gotten their baju rayas. The baju melayus, baju jalan-jalans, shoes, the whole nine yard. We didn't do our traditional shopping in KL this year though. Everything is locally purchased. Ipohmaliiii!! The timing was not right actually.

You see, usually our shopping adventure would coincide with our yearly berbuka puasa with friends. Me with my friends and she with hers. But this year, my wife's friends couldn't make it. So, my wife decided not to go to KL. I went alone instead.

This year, the buka puasa event was in San Francisco Steakhouse. Not bad at all if you are a fan of western food. If you are an avid malay food lover, you might want to strike SFSH out. But, it was not about the food. It was meeting the guys session. Our own Band of Brothers.

Most of the guys were there except for Nizar who is currently in Australia. But Ihsan is finally back in Malaysia after completing his PhD. So he is now Dr. Ihsan. And we kept it small this year. Only the top echelon of the brotherhood were invited to the event. We learned our lesson from last year's event. Too many people didn't really provide the quality time we wanted.

From SFSH, we moved to our second session at Dome. Tea time!!! Yup, we were living the yuppie life to the fullest. Some people might see this as wasting money. But you can never put a price on friendship can't you? Besides, Nik was paying the bill :)

We left for home at around 10.30 pm. Saying goodbye is always sentimental to me. Though everybody seems relaxed, I could sense that we all appreciated each other's presence that night. The handshakes were sincere and hopeful. A hope that it would never be the last. Pure friendship.

I reckon, if we were still single, the session would only end after the Subuh prayer the next morning. Yup, we used to do that you know. Went out to KL for the entire night. Canvassing the city center's dark places such as 'belakang Sogo', 'lorong hj taib', the shahzan tower, the chinese cemetery in cheras (if I'm not mistaken la), the highland towers and et ceteras. The stupid things teenagers do :) And of course, the National Mosque for Subuh prayer. I shit you not. Those were the days.

Ok la. That's it for now. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to all muslims and of course to all Malaysians. Have a good Raya and drive safely!

Come What May

By now, I would guess that Argentina's players would be lying on their beds while staring at the ceiling and silently humming Madonna's 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina'.

It's been a very bad day for them. Especially for Lionel Messi. I think if he could trade off his Footballer of The Year Award with a win against Germany, he would. Or even for a goal for that matter. The fact that he couldn't reproduce his club performance which landed him the award must be very frustrating.

As for Diego Maradona, his dream to run naked in the streets of Buenos Aires has been shattered by a team that was obviously superior in every department. Also gone was his ambition to match Franz Beckenbauer's achievement of winning the World Cup as player and manager.

I'm very happy with Germany's performance in this WC's edition. They play their game fluently and with spot on precision. They possess military like discipline and their teamwork is unbelievable. They look unstoppable. Their latest win should elevate their confidence off the chart. I just hope that it would not make them cocky or overconfident.

So far their chances are getting brighter. Only two matches separate them from the coveted cup. They certainly have the winning recipe. The question is right now - can they execute it? I really hope they can. But this is football, anything can happen. Come what may, this Germany team is already a winner in my eyes.

Deutschland! Deutschland! Deutschland!

Pudu Jail

Ok before we go to the Pudu Jail issue, let's talk about the WC!

Asians' challenge in the WC ended just now when their last representative - Japan a.k.a The Blue Samurai - lost to Paraguay. The winners, were decided through penalty shootout. Well, there's no saddest way to lose a match but penalty shootout. It's truly tragic. But nevertheless, there's no shame in it either. It's purely luck (or hard luck, depending on how you see it). The Japanese players should return home to the Land of the Rising Sun with their heads held high as they are not losers. Just hard luck....

Now, Pudu Jail.

I think to say that Pudu Jail didn't play a role in the nation's history would be very ignorant. It was said that:

for a structure to be regarded as such, it must be of immense national significance as well as having historical, aesthetical and architectural values

and Pudu Jail does not possess those qualities? Are you sure? Come onnnn......the oldest correctional facility in the country must have something right? And what about sentimental value? Doesn't that count? No? Yes? Of course it counts!!! The building is 115 years old for crying out loud! It once housed thousands of criminals, scums of the society, keeping them away from the general population. Ain't that enough for 'significance'?

Look, I'm sure the majority Malaysians are not against the proposal to develop the land. We have to admit it, we need the development. But at the same time, we too cannot afford to lose the history of the area. All we want is for the government to consider to at least leave a piece of the history for future generation to appreciate.

I support the Minister's proposal to leave the arch of the jail. I think that's good enough. Just like the A'Famosa in Malacca. In fact, the theme of the development should revolve around the Pudu Jail. Yup, it would be weird to have mall named like 'Jailhouse Mall' or apartment named as 'The Gallows'. Ahahahh....it doesn't have to be that extreme right.....but that's the gist. Preserve the history, cherish the memories. That would suffice. That would be just.....

Germany Vs England

Updated 28062010 0100 hrs

Wow.....I didn't expect Germany could win this big. 4-1 at this level of football is a superb result. But I reckon things could go differently had the referee allowed England's second goal. It was clearly in. Hard luck for England.

Original posting

It's a classic match! I shit you not. Though I would bask in the two teams meet in later stage, but as Joan of Arc says it - sooner is better. Ehehehh....

It's a definitely a 50-50 chance for both teams. But frankly, I reluctantly have to admit that England has a slightly better edge over Germany. Germany is having problem in the engine room with the injury of Bastian Schwiensteiger. While England will rely on its Gerrard-Lampard collaboration with Wayne Rooney on the attack.

On paper, I'd say it will go to England given their star studded team. But popularity won't bring you victory. It would be a mistake to discard Germany as they are known as a very disciplined team. The have youth and talent on their side.

My prediction; it would be a close match. Most probably be dragged into extra time or possibly a penalty shoot out as the decider. Well, we shall see.

Tag Anak-Anak

Got tagged by Yanti. Here goes.....


Anda sudah mempunyai berapa orang anak & nyatakan girl or boy?
2. Dua2 boy

Bila perancangan anda untuk menambah anak?
Bila yang nombor dua tu masuk 3 tahun

Nyatakan nama anak anda dan makna dalam Islam?
Alif Hafi - Sahabat karib yang mulia
Akif Wafi - Seorang memberi penumpuan & setia

Siapakah yang memberi nama anak anda?
My wife and myself

Dari mana tercetusnya idea untuk memberi nama anak anda?
Err...bukan ke baby kalo lahir memang kena bagi nama

Sekiranya anda dikurniakan seorang lagi cahaya mata, apakah nama yang akan anda berikan?
I'll cross the bridge when the time comes

Bagi yang mempunyai anak lebih daripada seorang, nyatakan jarak umur anak2 anda?
3 tahun ++

Bagi kelahiran anak anda yang akan datang, anda mahu girl atau boy? Nyatakan sebabnya
Girl sebab takde girl lagi

Apakah ciri persamaan anda dan anak anda?
Kitorang lelaki :)

Upload gambar anak2 anda
Alif n Akif >

World Cup 2010

I have to admit that I'm not really excited about WC 2010. I wasn't even excited 4 years ago when Italy won the coveted cup. In fact, I only knew about Italy's victory 2 days after the final game.

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Reason? I don't really have the crowd to watch the matches with. All my friends are not in Ipoh. They are all in KL. Those who are in Ipoh, well I guess they'd prefer to watch from their living rooms.

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You gotta admit that it's no fun to watch it alone. Even in the comfort of your own living room with your Full HD TV and Astro B.yond. It's just not the same. WC is about that carnival-like feeling. It's about having fun. And the only way I know to do this is with my friends.

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I still remember the last time I really enjoyed the WC. It was in 2002 when Japan and Korea were the hosts. My friends and I went to KLCC to watch the final match. They had this big screen and of course the most important thing there were a lot of hot chicks there:D (masa tu bujang maaa.....)

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But unfortunately, we were late (as usual). So we ended up watching the match at Coffee Bean on the 3rd floor of KLCC way far from the chicks. It didn't go as planned but still, it was fun, because we had each other.

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But things have changed now. We have so many other important things to tend to other than WC. Sign of ageing perhaps :)

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Anyways, as Kazarul correctly point out, I'm a Germany fan. But I do not think they could win this year's edition, though. The squad is too young (an average of 25 years) to win the cup. If they could reach the semis, that would be good enough for me.

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So, who's gonna win? I'd put my money on either Spain or Brazil. My gut feeling says it will be the latter. Though I hope I'm wrong. I just don't like Brazil. They are so annoying. Sorry Amy :)

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Spain is ranked first when this competition started. Judging from their star studded line up, the WC is theirs to lose. However, as I recall it, they hardly do well in WC. It's their jinx I guess.

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Other teams to watch would be Argentina and Holland. They could make a surprise if they play their cards well. England? No hope. The popular team is nothing more than just being popular. Quality wise, they still have a long way to go.

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Well, that's my take. Bets anyone?!!! :)

I'm Backkkkkk

Salam!

I know...... I know it has been more than a month since my last entry. What to do ...... I could only write when I'm at home. Apparently at home my creative side is not as active when I'm in the office :)

Anyways, Amy left me a comment reminding me to update, thanks Amy! She requested a couple of specific entries. One, about the PTD officer who died during the DPA course recently and second, my take on World Cup.

Well, let's start with the PTD officer story. We'll talk about the World Cup later ok.

The death of the female officer was a tragedy. It's a big loss to her family and the nation. My deepest condolence goes to her husband and her baby. It's just unimaginable to think that the baby would grow up without the love of her mother. I really hope that the husband could shoulder this huge responsibility on his own. I hope he would shower her with all the love he has in him, tell her how wonderful her mother was and remind her that her mother would always love her even though she's no longer around. Insya Allah.....

So now, let's see how did this happen? The commando module is a new module. I didn't have it during my time. But I would never think twice if I'm offered to participate in one. Why? It's a once in a lifetime experience!

Besides, the army treated us nicely. I've never heard that PTD officers were mistreated by the army. Although they were strict and sometimes harsh in their use of words, but overall it is acceptable given the context and the nature of the module. I mean, you cannot expect to be treated like a gentlemen in a army camp right? If you are wearing the uniform, the least you could do is to expect to be treated like a soldier.

Yup, we were treated like a soldier. Any visiting civilians to the camp cannot tell that we are not actually soldiers. We looked just like any other soldiers undergoing training in the camp. But the army never forgotten the fact that we are civilian officers. Our welfare was never neglected, especially when it comes to our health.

In fact, it was the first thing we have to declare. Some of my friends who were not fit enough were not allowed to participate. They were not even allowed to stay at the camp. They reluctantly went back to INTAN where they had to do assignments as replacement. One of my friends, who had already participated half way when he caught the demam campak, was also sent back to INTAN.

There's a reason to this. The DPA army module is the most tiring module of all. It will drain your energy. Not enough time to sleep and rest. It's a non-stop action from the start to the end. That's why those who participate must be in their best condition.

So when some quarters blamed the army for her death, I find it hard to believe. That's just not how they operate. In fact, a friend of mine got a hold of his junior who is attending the DPA course and the guy told him that the army never forced them to participate. They did it on their own will. The guy suspected that the female officer might not have declared her true medical condition to the army officers.

I guess that's probable. But still, it arises another question. Why didn't she declare?

So, the question still remains, what happened? Your guess is a s good as mine. Although I do have some assumptions, I think it's not appropriate to share it openly. At least not now. I need to dig a little bit deeper before I can confirm it.

So Amy, one down and another to go eh. Next time I'll write about the WC :) Tunggguuuuuuu

Confused

If a 15 year old boy who had just involved in an accident, then being beaten by 5 policemen and still manage to run away; what does that tell us about the police? Weak eh. That boy must be having some kind of superpower or something eh. It's not easy to escape from 5 grown and armed men you know.

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And if you urge the public not to politicize the incident but still hire a lawyer who is also a hardcore politician, then maybe you want to revise your stand la. You are frustrating the public, me included. Please decide what do you want to do, and don't play Jekyll and Hyde. Ooohh...it must be a co-incidence la kan. Must be la eh. Anything is possible.

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I'm not taking sides here. But the parties involved must be responsible when issuing a statement. Please bear in mind that the whole country is following this case closely. Don't talk and walk differently.

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To me, the victims here are the boy and the police. Dua2 naya. Let's look back and find why did this happen. Whose fault was it? I'm not going to comment on this. But I think we need to put ourselves in both parties' shoes. Ask ourselves what would we do in that situations. Jangan pikir guna hati, pikir guna otak.

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Anyways, my condolences to all the victims. Be strong!

Lagenda Budak Setan will be aired in June 2010

I read in NST about this. Finally, the fans will be able to evaluate if the film is as good as the book. Frankly, since everything will be cramped into one film, I reckon some segments will be omitted. It will a 90 minutes movie I assume. I couldn't even finish reading one book in 90 minutes.

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Anyways, let's not get excited yet. Wait for the movie in June.

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On the other hand, Farid Kamil will play Kasyah while Lisa Surihani will play Ayu. Furthermore, Que Haidar will play Azmi. Well, I'm not really comfortable with Farid Kamil as Kasyah. I don't see him as a person who has a fighting soul like Kasyah. Farid Kamil to me, is a little bit soft. I see Kasyah as a simple but attractive Malay guy. And by attractive, I mean rugged looking.

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I'm not saying Farid Kamil is not qualified, it's just that Farid doesn't fit my version of Kasyah. But what to do? We don't really a large pool of actors right? So just layan aje lah....

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And Que as Azmi? I tot Azmi is supposed to look like a Malay-Pakistan kind of guy. If my memory serves me well la. Betul tak?

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Lisa should be ok as Ayu. I wonder who will be playing Ayu after the operation. Remember she changed her look after the accident? Will it be Fazura? Cannot be la eh. Different figure, different skin color.

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And who's gonna play Katerina and Sapi? It remains a mystery. Just wait ya. June is just around the corner. But from my experience watching movies adapted from novels, it usually not that satisfying. But we'll see la eh.

Al-Fatihah

My mother's younger sister fondly known as Andak passed away today in Makkah (1430 hrs local time). She was in Makkah to perform Umrah. May her soul be blessed by the Almighty. Al-Fatihah.....

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To Ash and Iwan - be strong

Din Beramboi

I never thought the passing of Din Beramboi would touch me.

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I was driving to work when I heard the news. Suddenly, I was sad. I sympathized. A feeling that I couldn't comprehend.

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I don't really listen to Era. I mostly listen to Hitz and Hot Fm. I only listen to Era when there's nothing exciting on Hitz and Hot. Din was always there with Aznil. He and his out of this world antics. I gotta to admit that I kinda enjoy his companionship. On the radio that is.

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Listening to condolences and eulogies made it worse. I could feel the affections he had on his fans. They really loved him.

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Funny eh.... How a person you barely know could really touch your heart. Or maybe I'm just being sentimental. Dunno la. Maybe it was because of the suddenness. It proves that humans are so weak and God is great. I believe in life, we need to plan for the best, but fate will decide what's best for us.

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And I guess this is the best for Din Beramboi. Remember, Allah knows everything.....

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My deepest condolence to his family and May Allah bless his soul.

The little things that we always forget

In my last posting, I commented about the IT Dept. So one of my friends who works in IT decided to defend her peers :) There were some comments and I really appreciate it.

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But basically it's about communication lah. In order to create a formidable organization, each teams, depts or divisions must understands the functions of others.

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Stop living in your own cocoon. Stop believing that your department in more important than others. Stop believing that other departments are just rubbish and toys you can play around.

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At the end of the day, you'll need each other to really maximize your productivity.

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Try do simple things like mingle. Try to understand their work pressures. Let them know your work pressures. That way, we'll be able not to be pissed off the next time the guy from the other the department screws you up.

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It's basically building up a friendship. Treat them like friends and not acquaintances. Give names to their faces and don't describe them as just a dude from work.

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Most important thing, be professional. That's the real solution.

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And please, don't take for granted the little things that we thought not important. For example, SMSes. Try to reply sms even it takes you a day. Apologize for not getting to them earlier. Yeah, at first they will be pissed, but once you apologize, it all will be gone. After all, we are all humans.

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I'd like to write more. But my battery is running low :( So see ya!

Akhirnya berjaya jugak aku update

I'm so pissed off with the IT Dept. You see, they have been blocking everything at my office. I don't know why. The worst thing is that they don't have the courtesy to even inform me about this. They even block blogger!!!! Funny thing is, I can read other people's blogs but I cannot update mine. What kind of policy is this ah?

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I don't mind if they have this policy. But at least be consistent la. My friends at the HQ can access all sort of things but people like me who works far from HQ are being suppressed of all sort of things. Stupid!!!

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Well, I never liked the IT guys anyway. They are an unfriendly snobbish lot. Never say hi or even smile at people. Would it kill you to be friendly? Of course not all of them, but the majority of them are like that.

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Ok, enough of being angry. Let's talk about something else.

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I noticed that lately many of my blogger friends have not been updating their blogs. Why eh? Your IT dept sucks too eh. Well what's new....

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Anyways, I read an article somewhere that say blogging is sooooo in the past. Really??!!! It says that the emergence of Facebook and Twitter has drastically changed the landscape of the cyberworld. They argue that once you updated your status in FB and Twitter, it is more likely that you wouldn't repeat the same story in your blog.

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In a way. The article did raise some points la. It's true you know. FB and Twitter are more dynamic in nature. Once you set your status, the responses will pour in almost instantly. This really gives the kick to keep going on right?

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Human beings like to love and to be loved. We need to know that we are on someone's radar. It is a feeling that we never wanted to admit we have. But believe me, we have it in us. No matter how anti-social you are, deep down inside, you gotta admit you need friends, you long for the attention.

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So, the responses from the status can be perceived as us being relevant to others. The longer the thread the more excited we become. Nothing can beat that aku-famous-ah feeling or ingat-jugak-kengkawan-kat-aku feeling. Right or not?

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But in blogging, you can never get the rush you get from FB and Twitter. Unless if you are a famous socio-politico blogger, the responses are rather slow in nature. You gotta be patient. Your readers too need to be patient. Imagine reading an entry (like this one) and processing all the information at the same time. Tiring isn't it? 5 minutes spent in the blogging world is equivalent to 2 hours in FB time :)

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And by the time you finish reading, you don't have the energy anymore to even drop two lines of comment. ehehehh.....sounds familiar eh?

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But I don't care la. I still love blogging. It gives me the space I needed to express myself in my own way. Yup that's the high we get from blogging. It may not be as excited as FB and Twitter but it is satisfying and it lasts longer too.

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So, I think I'll try to blog as long as I can. Even if nobody reads my blog anymore. I'm cool with it. I'm still cool with blogging even if blogging is hanging precariously on the edge of the 'has been' abyss.

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And even if that happens, I will still try to impart whatever wisdom left in my congested noggin. Ehehehhh. And one thing for sure, no geek from the IT dept will ever stop me. It's war to the end. Damn you geeky guy!!

Is this life?

Another child's life was taken away by an animal masquerading as human. This time an 18 month old boy. 6 broken ribs and a damage liver. I don't know what to say anymore. Just hope that this kind of news would stop hogging the media.

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But that's life.....

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Cruel isn't it? To conclude these despicable incidents with those words seem so cold. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but the fact remains, that's life. Cruelty has been part of human beings since the beginning of the universe. We are all animals.

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The only thing that separates us from the beast in us is our brains. Apparently, some people are not capable of using it anymore. Our dark sides rule over us.

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My heartiest condolence to all the families of the victims who have to endure these trying episodes of their lives. Be strong!

Penat ah....

I must say, it has been weird being in the office. The office seems to be too big for me. I feel lonely. I guess I miss being in INTAN. That's actually the scary part. Me? Missing INTAN? Nope, I don't think its INTAN. I missed my QA course. I missed my friends, missed the class, missed the after class activities, missed the oblivious-of-what's-going-on-in-the-office feeling. huh....

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The office welcomed me with a stack of unattended files and letters. A scene that I reluctantly had to admit - my responsibility. Ah....bila la nak start belajar nih.

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I checked with my QA friends. They too have the same feeling. Laziness. It's a disease lah. After six weeks of coursing, it's natural to feel like this right? Or maybe I just don't have that spirit anymore. The spirit to serve. Hopefully, I'll be having a better and productive week next week.

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Anyways, I sat for my GRE exam last Tuesday. Mann....it was damn hard. The english section made me feel like a kindergarten student. Every words seemed to be a new word. It's no child play I tell you. The math section was not helping either. But at least you could try to calculate. In english, if you don't know the word, there's no way you can answer the questions. Ah....there goes my RM850.00.

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So far, I've spent nearly RM2k of my own money for my Master's Degree - TOEFL, GRE, postal cost, application cost. Takleh claim plak tu. I know I'm drilling a hole in my pocket. I just hope it's worth it. Moral of the story, if you guys want to further study, don't go to US. Opt for Uk or Aussie. They are much cheaper. I guess there is a silver lining in this. Anything worth doing is never easy right?

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Ok la people. I notice that this entry has stopped making any sense now. ehehehh....so I guess it's time to stop. See you guys later....