From KL to Ipoh

Sydney's Summer

2011-12-08T20:31:00.001+08:00

Sydney is experiencing its coldest start to summer in 50 years! How ironic is that huh??!! and I am here to be part of history :) So now I have one more story to tell my anak cucu years from now about what happenned in Sydney in the summer of 2011. Ain't life great?!!

The sky is always gloomy nowadays. And it drizzles almost everyday. Hampering my long term exercise regime (yeahh...I know it's lame, just cut me some slack will ya?) The only exercise I consistently do right now is the Sunday football game with the guys. Since it's now summer, we get to play until 8.00 pm. Don't worry though, we didn't miss our Marghrib prayer :)

Still, the Sunday football game may not last. We have less people now, so it's less fun. In fact, last week we had to play with some people from China. Playing with people you barely know was definitely less exciting. Well, at least to me. You see, some people play because they love the game. I play because I love the people - my friends. Yup, I'm sentimental like that. I value friendship, I really do. Friends are forever, unless if I got stabbed in the back. Then it's a different story. I remember a friend of mine used to tell me - If you fuck me once, shame on you, but if you fuck me twice, shame on me. Ehehh....sooo Godfather.

Anyway, I really hope there will be more students coming next semester. It's not just about football. It's about having activities to do within the Malaysian community. Activities bring people closer. And in a small community like us, it's important to be close to one another. Here, it's soooo not like back home. Back home, I barely had the time to chat with my neighbors. Let alone play football! We were so busy with our lives that the only time we really get to socialize is during Hari Raya or when someone dies. Yup, we are that sad back home. I hope I could change that when I got back.

p/s: another sad thing is this blog. hmm....gotta post more often....

King of ASEAN!!!

2011-11-22T12:07:00.001+08:00

Can't help it! Need to blog about our win against Indonesia last night.

Maannnn....it was so sweeeettttt. Sweet taste of glory. Congrats to the players!

Normally, I'd say something nice to the LOSERS - ie. better luck next time, good game etc etc. But since they were so mean and disrespectful to us, I'd say IN YOUR FACE INDONESIA!!!! Thanks for all the hostilities, hatred and provocations. And of course the most mean-spirited thing of all - jeering our national anthem. Come on man. You guys are better than that. Oh yeah.....my anger is dedicated only to those bad Indonesians. The good ones, you guys are great.

Anyway, winning the gold medal certainly solidifies our status as the best team in ASEAN. Look - Gold in 2009, AFF Champian in 2010 and another gold in 2011 - i think we deserve a little bragging rights. But don't stop there FAM. Defending it will be much harder. Keep up the good work!

End of semester

2011-11-20T22:10:00.001+08:00

Semester dah abissss!!!!!

It's always nice when the semester is over. But it will be nicer if I could celebrate it with my friends. And better still, have access to a lot of money so that I could really celebrate. Mannn...seriously, JPA must revise the allowance structure. It's just not enough, especially to those with family. Dont get me wrong, I'm thankful, but I think it's not wrong to speak the truth. The truth is...the allowance is barely enough.

Fortunately, I still have my gaji in Malaysia. But I feel so sayang to transfer the money from Malaysia to Australia. My original plan was not to touch the money in Malaysia so that we have enough cash to restart our life in Malaysia once we got back. Well, not our entire life, we just need to buy the cars. But still, cars cost a fortune in my tanahair tercinta. In Australia, cars are cheap. Seriously cheap....so if you want to drive nice car even though your earn a middle class salary, please come to Australia :)

I have a three-month break and I have absolutely no plan what to do with it. Thinking of getting a job, but don't know what kind of job should I do. It would be nice to get some extra money. It could cover our trip to Gold Coast in February. Or maybe could save some money to send Akif to school here. Dont know la. I'll just keep that in mind for the time being.

Oh yeah...played my last football game with the TESL boys just now. They are leaving for Malaysia next week. Hmmm.....we have less people in the community now. The government wont send any TESL students next year. It's sad to see them leave. The friendship, even though it's still new, it's solid. I guess when you are in a small community, you really value your friends. These boys, they are much much younger than I am. Now I am not saying that I'm old either ok. All I'm saying is that if your compare the age difference, they are younger, maybe by 12 years. But they treat me as though I'm one of them. Apparently, there's no concept of 'Abang' here. And surprisingly, I'm ok with that.

Anyway, I wish them best of luck. Hope to see them in Malaysia. Hmm...I'm missing Malaysia so much. While Australia is nice, it's not Malaysia. One thing that I really miss is my financial freedom. I'm no rich guy. But in Malaysia, I can do anything that I want without worrying about not having money.

Here, I don't have that freedom. I am constantly worried of whether the money could last till the end of the month. It's sometimes frustrating when you cannot provide the same life to your family here. But Alhamdulillah, my family seem to understand. But Alif sometimes does ask question like 'abah...do we have money to buy this..' and it breaks my heart to say 'no'. Maybe I would give him the same answer in Malaysia, but it's because I don't want to, here, I have to say no because I cannot afford to. Hishhh....runsing wooo.

Ok la. I got nothing to write anymore. See you guys later. Hope the tigers will maul the garudas tomorrow!!!

Entry penat....

2011-10-24T11:34:00.001+08:00

End of semester is just around the corner. Mannn....how time flies. I'm very busy now. Sleepless nights, red eyes, overeating and too much coffee. I've got 4 assignments to submit in three weeks. It's totally driving me crazy. Hmmm...going back to school is not as fun as I imagined :P. My standing is not good. Hope I'll survive. Yup, that's the mission at this point.

Procrastinating is not helping at all. I always know this, but keep doing it over and over again. Bila la nak sedar oii. One more thing, being a HOD is not helping either. I am so used to people doing things for me, I am now feeling it awkward to do everything myself. Usually, my staffs will prepare my schedule and remind me of the deadlines, but now, I'm on my own. Hence, the chaotic sleepless nights I'm experiencing now.

Like I said, I hope to survive this first semester. But come next semester, the game is on baby. Yup, gotta come back with a bang. You'll see....

Insya Allah....

See you guys

Darfur

2011-10-13T09:45:00.000+08:00

I learnt something sad about Darfur two nights ago in my Border Security and Migration class.

You know the two factions who are killing each other, the Arabs and the Africans, they are both Muslim. Just to make sure, I checked with a friend who used to work in Sudan, and he confirmed it.

It really got to me. Why are Muslims killing Muslims? Because of land disputes? This is ridiculous!

Islam is a religion of peace and harmony. It doesn't teach its followers to be mean cruel. Still this is happening now. And yet, we are mad when people label us terrorist. We keep calling the unbelievers as infidel, but it is not them who are killing each other. Are we living the Muslim life? Are we setting the right example to others?

The Muslim world really is in need of a leader. Just to bring all of us back to the right path. I think it is our responsibility to clean Islam's name. Just imagine how the Prophet (PBUH) would feel if he sees his ummah in such clueless life. Totally disregarding all his teachings. We are letting him down mann.....

I really feel I need to do something personally. But I don't know where to start. Allah....help us!

Sorry la....kinda emotional because this is really sad.

Something to ponder

2011-09-30T08:24:00.000+08:00

I like this one.....

'Disregarding history is like driving without a rear view mirror'

-Dato' A. Kadir Jasin-

Malaysia Day and ISA

2011-09-18T23:51:00.001+08:00

So how was your Malaysia Day? Great? Fantastic? Good for you.

Mine? Well, can't really say, coz I wasn't in Malaysia. And I'm not used to celebrate Malaysia Day yet. Still a very new celebration for me. I guess, I appreciate Merdeka better. Simply because of the word MERDEKA is soooo liberating. Yup, I definitely need more time to get used to this Malaysia Day.

Received news from back home that ISA is finally abolished. Well....that's sad. I'm a little bit disappointed about this decision. I can't understand the motivation behind the decision. I mean, is this really the wish of the MAJORITY. Is democracy in our beloved country being defiled by this so-called draconian law as claimed. Is the person who labeled the law draconian even ever experienced draconian laws?

A friend of mine who strongly opposes the law and everything the government does, said that he is not in favor with ISA because he feels that everyone deserves a day in the court. Ehehh....I don't blame him. He wasn't wrong, just being too idealistic. Clearly, the words were not his. He was just parroting it.

I got news for you buddy. The law is far from not perfect. Sometimes, it just don't work. It does not provide justice, it only provides the opportunity for justice.

Let us now see a simple example. Indonesian intelligence informs us that a suspected terrorist is en route to Malaysia and will enter through KLIA. He is expected to launch a fatal attack on Malaysian soil a couple of hours after he arrives. The target cannot be confirmed. So now, the police has a decision to make. To arrest or not. If arrest, under what law? They don't have enough evidence, only information from their Indonesian counterparts. If they do not, innocence lives may be in danger. So what to do?

As a citizen, I would expect the police to arrest the guy. I'm not in a mood, to take any chances of me or my family being attacked in my own country. I want to be able to feel safe. I don't want to walk around in the city wearing a kevlar bullet proof jacket. Nahhh....that's not the Malaysian life. We like to lepak at our ubiquitous mamak stalls, alfresco style! We like to lepak at Uptown, enjoying the our black pepper steaks, nescafe ais and listening to a few guys basking their hearts out. Yup, they may not sing perfectly, but that's enough to entertain us.

See, we are not complicated people. Yup, some people may have been complaining and bitching about how hard is it to live in Malaysia, and how other countries are way better than us. You know what, by all means, please leave! We are very much better off without you. We need people who can appreciate the country. We need people who aspires to build this country. We certainly don't need people who'd jump to the first opportunity the get to leave and live a so-called 'better' life in another country. All I can say to the receiving country - Good Luck! They are your problem now!

So back to the question on the suspected terrorist. This is specifically why we need ISA. If some people abuse it, blame the people. Not the law. Well, what's done is done. I just hope that the government will come up with a new law similar to ISA.

By the way, Happy Belated Malaysia Day!

Alif Hafi' Award

2011-09-13T12:05:00.000+08:00

Alif's got an award from school. Siap naik pentas lagi. Woohoooo!

The only thing is, we (the parents) weren't inform about the event. At least we could brought our camera along. Well, this is one good thing about omputeh education system. They reward students to motivate them. Even though the reward it's not that big. Still, a seven year old would be proud of himself. Especially since he has only been schooling for less than a month.

Now, he wants his mainan....Aiseh......duit gaji pon tak masuk lagi nih :P but insya allah, abah & mama will buy you something Alif. Keep it up!

Tukar Theme jap

2011-09-06T00:05:00.000+08:00

aku ekceli tengah tuleh untuk entry lain. tetiba ilang idea la plak.

so aku cuba tukar theme blog ni. so far tak jumpa yang betul2 berkenan lagi. yang ni cuma untuk temporary je nih :)

alaaa...maleh la plak nak sambung....

Alfatihah to Zulfakar

2011-08-28T11:42:00.002+08:00

I was doing my assignment when I decided I was too tired to go on. Instead I logged on to FB. Got a message from Azhar - 'Bro....Zulfakar meninggal pukul 2 pagi tadi'

Ahh...that's life. Unpredictable. Arwah died of pneumonia. Being warded since the beginning of Ramadhan and finally he got the 'call' this morning. He was such a nice person and a good friend. Always reliable, always willing to lend a hand when you need one.

To lose him so close to Aidilfitri is so overwhelming. But to know that he'll be spared from the tortures of the grave is also a relieve. Hope he'll be placed among those blessed souls. Amin.

Zul - you'll be missed. Rest in peace my friend.

Mi Casa

2011-08-15T20:55:00.009+08:00

Our apartment or Unit; as they call it here in Australia is finally getting the look of a real house.

When we moved in 2 weeks ago, we had almost nothing apart from a few electrical appliances that we brought from Malaysia. The house was very cold then. We didn't even have electricity.

It was Saturday, very late on Saturday in fact, so the electric company was apparently reluctant to do an emergency connection. They imposed several conditions that were impossible for us to comply. Eventually, we had to concede that the electricity will only be connected on Monday.

So, we had to stay with a family that we barely knew. Alhamdulillah, they welcomed us with open arms. I can't imagine what would had happened if they didn't help us. We were so desperate. If it was only my wife and I, we would probably stayed on, we would braze ourselves to fight the cold, but we couldn't-it would be unfair to Alif and Akif.

We stayed with Sabarul and Wan over the weekend. They were very nice. They too have children of the same ages as ours. Wawa and Adam. The kids clicked almost immediately.

While they were having fun, I was restless. My plan didn't go as I planned it and it was stressing me out. Ramadhan was around the corner, and our house was far from livable.

On Monday, we got the electricity connected. Quickly we went to the house and did some cleaning up. We had no furniture except for two thin mattresses, again, courtesy of Sabarul and Wan. It was sad, but at least we got the ball rolling.

The following day, our new fridge came, and then the heater and frying pan (yup, my wife ordered a frying pan. She said it was Tefal, and it was cheap). But still, the house looked empty.

Meanwhile, the boys were bored. They played a lot and were very noisy. They stomped the floor, they screamed, they cried etc etc. I was irritated by all these as I didn't want the neighbour to complain. The stress meter was consistently rising and I knew I had to do something, or they kids will face my wrath. It would be very unfair to them, since it was my decision to come here and it obviously disrupted their lives.

My wife found a cheap 2nd hand tv online-Aud50. I hesitated initially, because I'd prefer a new one and most importantly I didn't want to deal with the logistic problems :) Hey, don't blame me ok, it's a 28" tv, it's big and heavy!

But after a few nagging, I conceded, and went to buy the tv. I glad I did it. The house is much livelier now. And let me tell you, here, all the channels are digital. Even with our tv (which is quite old) the picture is sharp.

And finally, last Sunday, we finally completed the house. I went to Bankstown with a couple of friends and pick up some furniture from a very nice man called Abang Sahak. He gave mattresses, beds, sofas, plates, cups, blankets and a table. It was beyaond expectation. Now the only thing that we might need is a rug. But it's not urgent though. Pelan-pelan kayuh la. Hopefully, things will get better from now on. Insya Allah.

Here are some pics of our Unit:

Entrance to our Unit

The pool
The clubhouse

Front view

Alif @ North Ryde Public School

2011-08-11T11:10:00.005+08:00

Finally, we managed to enroll Alif into school. Saje tunggu sampai dah settle semua. So now he's in North Ryde Public School in Year 1.

He was nervous the night before school. Butterflies in his stomach I guess.

Anyway, I didn't send him to school. My wife did; as we didn't have our own car yet, and had to ride with our neighbour. I was told Alif almost immediately forgot about his mother once he gets to know his new friends.

I'm a little bit worried about his conversation skills. But I guess budak-budak kan, as long as they get to play, language is irrelevant. And he is a friendly person. So I guess everything should be ok.

So, here are some pics:

Abang & Adik

new uniform

macam sarjan hassan pon ada

with mama

selamat datang pon ada

with Denis, a terengganu boy

with the mat sallehs

Malaysia Vs Singapore

2011-07-28T21:26:00.003+08:00

Full Time
1 - 1. Aisehhmennn.....that's the end of our World Cup dream.

They played better in the 2nd half but still not enough firepower. Their movement were predictable. It is a sad night for the Harimaus. Knowing fully well that they are better than this.

We miss Norshahrul Idlan Talaha and Safiq Rahim dearly. Safee Salee did score. But I guess the burden was too heavy for him to shoulder alone. Abdul Hadi Yahya was ok. But they just didn't click.

Personally....I'm angry. This is not the team that won the AFF Suzuki Cup. That team played with bravado and honour. Even the fans could feel it. They had the width, depth, darting runs, I mean the whole nine yard. But the team that played tonight, couldn't be as half as good as the previous team.

Come on guys. This is not the end. We Malaysians still believe in you. So YOU have to believe in you. It's time to do some soul searching. Because I believe some of them might be wondering around aimlessly after being praised non stop lately. It's not the time to be proud. Buck up!

Original Entry
Half Time

0 - 0 still. Not so good so far. We are not playing our usual game. The defence seemed nervous. Lack of confidence perhaps. Come on! These are the same players who played in AFF. Then, they were solid as hell.

The midfield too are not running smoothly. Creativity is at all time low. Hardly any dangerous penetration. Not to mention the kiasus were defending with 7 players. Well, can't blame them right?

All in all, the southern guys are looking much more dangerous than our boys. Hope the boy can still do it. Come guys! Malaysia Boleh!!

Sydney, so far.....

2011-07-27T22:29:00.005+08:00

Ahh...it's been nearly three weeks now, and we are yet to settle down in Sydney.

Let me tell you something, it is NOT easy ok. It's blardy stressfull and I hate it. But I guess good things don't come easy huh? You gotta earn it.

But yesterday, things started to change to a more positive tone. I was finally offered a house to rent. Yup people, we haven't moved into our own house yet. Again, it is NOT easy to find a house here in Sydney.

You gotta inspect the house first - then submit an application to the agent - the agent will then review the application and discuss it with the property owner - the owner will ultimately decides if he likes me or not :)

and the inspections are only scheduled on Thursdays and Saturdays. Apparently, before I came here, inspections are done almost everyday and exclusively. But now, it's always an OPEN inspection, meaning everyone can come and inspect the house. And of course, compete against each other. Hmm....talk about about perfect timing huh?

Takpe, I already got a house now. And we are moving in on Saturday. Yeaaaa....the location is quite perfect. 15 minutes walk to the university, and around 7 minutes walk to Alif's school. Ok la kan...since we don't own a car yet.

I'm still contemplating whether to buy one or not. But it seems that it is a necessity. Well, I'm not going to think about it now. Just want to concentrate on moving into the new house. Hope everything would go smoothly.

I'd like to thank everybody who have been helping us all this while. Kak Nani, Wawa, Hanafi, Lan, Kia, Ein, Sabarul and Wan, Zid and Jimmy, Lin and Gabby and the rest of the Malaysian community who have been cheerleading when we were really down. Thanks guys. Only Allah can repay you.

.....I'll will repay you when my allowance is in :)..... EN. JPA, tolong cepat sket ye.

Ok la...here's some pics: maleh la nak upload banyak2...slow....tgk kat FB la

@Max Brenner

@Manly Beach

on ferry to Manly

Harbour Bridge

with the boys

Alif's result and Harimau Malaya

2011-06-25T12:53:00.006+08:00

Alif scored 471 over a total of 500 marks in his exams. That is equivalent to 94%. He also got 5As. However, he's ranked 18 out of 36 students. The total of students who scored 5As in his class is 26. Wowww.....

He was shocked when he got to know his ranking. Well, that is understandable. He topped his class in the kindergarten; so being ranked 18 is something alien to him.

However, the class teacher said there's no need to be alarmed. He did well, but the competition was very fierce. He is after all in the first class of the best primary public school in Ipoh. So, I'm not that worried. He's still in standard 1. Still a long way to go. And being in a competitive environment would good for him. So, hopefully he will get better results in the future.

My wife and I have decided not to push him too hard. We want him to enjoy learning. As long as he could grasp the concept of the subjects; that's good enough. If he got into the top 3, that would be a bonus. Good luck Alif!

Let's move to Harimau Malaya.

It's hard to ignore the achievements of our football team - Harimau Malaya of late. Since winning the gold medal in the SEA Games in 2009, they refused to slow down. They won the AFF Suzuki Cup early this year, and recently won a place to the final qualifying round for the Olympic Games.

I'm proud to say that I did play a role in their success :) I went twice to Bukit Jalil for the games against Vietnam and Indonesia. It was awesome. Those who missed the chance to witness the victories should regret their decision not to go to the games. It was historical.

Now, we can see young people wearing the national colors with pride. I'm so proud of this development. 5 years ago, Malaysian fans could not care less about our football. They were hopeless and nauseating to watch. But now, every time we play, the fans come to the stadium with high hopes in their hearts. Even if we lose, we do it with honor.

That's what I think the players finally got to understand - HONOR. Fans want them to play with honor. The fans understand that winning or losing is just part of the games. We just want to see them losing after giving all they have to the game.

I hope that the team would continue to progress from now on. Bring back the pride and glory of our football. Justify football as the No. 1 sport in the country. Let's us now try to conquer Asia. And maybe one day, we will be on top of the world!

It's been quite a while....

2011-06-16T16:50:00.002+08:00

....since I last posted in this blog.

A lot to share but my kerajinan to update is just not there. I blame this on the IT Department :P

It boggles the mind when you dont block blogsites but block Blogspot (chewah...cam tounge twister plak kan).

In other words, you allow people to read blogs, but ban them from updating their blogs? And at the same time, you allow people to enjoy Facebook? Hmmm.... I'm not sure about others, but I just cannot comprehend the policy.

Most probably, the policymakers may have short-circuited some portion of their brains in their effort to understand this no brainer subject matter.

I believe reading is good. It stimulates the brain. But to be able to read and then offer your own two cent in writing is much better. It makes your brain to work harder. My justification is quite simple. If one can only read and unable to offer his opinion on the subject matter, over time, he'll become a robot. He will only do what he is programmed to do. No room for creativity or his own suggestions to make the job more practical and efficient.

Tatau la aku. Some people are soooo conservative that their only objective is to stamp their authority; even though they are wrong most of the time. I really think they should retire and make room for the more energetic and dynamic people..... like me :) ahahhah

Happy New Year?

2011-01-21T00:39:00.002+08:00

Salam.

It's not too late to wish everyone Happy New Year 2011M and 1432H.

I'm writing this because I just heard that another ADUN just passed away. ADUN Merlimau who was also the Exco of Malacca State Government.

Al-Fatihah.....

If the government decides to hold another by election, it would the 15th time after March 2008 general election. I guess it sets a new record huh?

I cannot help but feeling nervous about all of these by elections. No, I'm not worried about who wins or loses. It's something else I'm worried about.

I'm worried if God is trying to tell us something. There's a reason for everything right? It's never a coincidence. Dia yang Maha Mengetahui!

Don't you think it's kinda strange that we have been having almost non stop by elections?? It's an average of every two and a half months! What did we do (or didn't do) to deserve this?

I think God is really trying to tell us something. Not sure wheather it's a good thing or a bad thing. I hope it's a good one though. But I really cannot shake that bad feeling off.

Frankly, I feel that our political scene is growing uglier by the minutes since March 2008. The spat between the two sides of the divide is getting worse and is not showing any signs of ceasing. If before I thought politic is dirty. Now it's sooo beyond that. I dont even know how to describe it at all.

The rakyat is also indirectly affected. Unprecedented sense of prejudice is at an alarming rate. Everything is sensitive nowadays. Everybody wants to blame each other for everything. Nobody wants to back off. You guys feeling me?

Just hope that everything will turn out well for Malaysia. I really do....Pray for the best you guys

P. Ramlee

2010-12-01T14:46:00.002+08:00

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

Question: Di Mana Kan Ku Cari Ganti?

Answer: Not in Malaysia

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

But it had to end. Or so it seems.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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...

Hancur badan dikandung tanah

Budi baik dikenang juga

Biar alam hancur dan musnah

Jasa mu tetap dikenang juga

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)

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.

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

2010-11-23T00:20:00.003+08:00

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

2010-09-17T15:48:00.003+08:00

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

2010-09-16T00:56:00.003+08:00

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

2010-09-14T02:15:00.002+08:00

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?

2010-09-12T03:32:00.004+08:00

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

2010-09-12T02:04:00.007+08:00

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

2010-09-07T01:05:00.004+08:00

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

2010-07-04T01:52:00.003+08:00

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

2010-06-30T00:59:00.004+08:00

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

2010-06-27T12:53:00.003+08:00

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

2010-06-25T00:53:00.004+08:00

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

2010-06-22T00:38:00.005+08:00

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.

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.

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.

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.....)

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.

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

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.

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 :)

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.

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.

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

I'm Backkkkkk

2010-06-14T00:57:00.005+08:00

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

2010-05-04T23:19:00.003+08:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Lagenda Budak Setan will be aired in June 2010

2010-05-02T01:06:00.002+08:00

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.

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

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.

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....

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?

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.

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

2010-04-19T23:52:00.003+08:00

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.....

To Ash and Iwan - be strong

Din Beramboi

2010-04-03T00:03:00.004+08:00

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

The little things that we always forget

2010-03-31T23:36:00.003+08:00

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Akhirnya berjaya jugak aku update

2010-03-25T00:10:00.005+08:00

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?

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!!!

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.

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

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....

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.

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?

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.

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?

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 :)

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?

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.

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.

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?

2010-03-04T23:45:00.004+08:00

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.

But that's life.....

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.

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.

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

Penat ah....

2010-02-27T00:28:00.003+08:00

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....

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.

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.

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.

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?

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....

Bersamamu ni memang la.....

2010-02-17T21:38:00.002+08:00

Aku memang tak suka tengok Bersamamu (TV3). Sebab banyak sangat cerita sedih. Yup, I'm sentimental like that. Sedih siot tengok ramai lagi yang hidup susah. Insaf sebab diri aku ni beruntung sangat.

Tadi aku tertengok jugak Bersamamu. Citer pasal satu couple OKU ni. Diorang dapat anak normal. Yang isteri tu cakap diorang menangis sebab syukur sangat anak diorang normal. Masa dia cakap tu, aku dah goyang dah. Bukan goyang pasal apa...terharu and tumpang gembira.

Pastu dia citer plak dia and suami tak dapat nak beri makan, nak jaga sendiri anak sebab kekurangan diorang. Dia kata dia hanya bleh tengok je bila anak tu nangis sebab tak boleh nak tolong. Masa dia cakap tu, dia sebak. Aku pon ikut sebak jugak. Hish....memang sayu ah.....aku boleh faham la. Walaupun aku bukan OKU, tapi aku pernah rasa la perasaan tu - HELPLESS.

Masa tu Alif baru lahir. Masa Alif lahir tu, aku tgh kursus DPA kat Intan. Aku lari la balik rumah kejap. Aku sempat dua hari je, pastu kena balik Intan. Masa aku balik tu, wife aku call, dia cakap Alif kena tahan kat hospital pasal kena demam kuning.

So weekend tu, aku balik, terus shoot pegi hospital. Sampai hospital, terus pegi tempat demam kuning tu. Kat situ banyak la baby yg kena kuning, sumer lepak bawah lampu tu.

So aku pegi la tengok alif, masa tu misi tak bagi aku pegang sebab dia baru je duduk bawah lampu tu. Masa aku sampai tu jugak la Alif mula menangis. Masa dia menangis tu aku bleh tengok je la, nak pegang takleh. Aku automatically rasa sayu sangat. Aku rasa helpless sangat sebab takleh nak buat apa. Rasa macam tak gunanya jadi bapak kalo takleh tolong anak sendiri. Mengalir air mata aku masa tu.

Walaupun, benda tu bukan besar sangat. Kena demam kuning je. Tapi dalam keadaan camtu, ko akan rasa sayu gila.

Tu orang kata adat dunia - ujian Tuhan. Ada yang kawen, Tuhan uji dengan susah dapat anak. Ada yang dapat anak, Tuhan uji takleh nak pegang anak sendiri. Ada yang dapat anak, Tuhan uji plak dengan anak yang kurang sempurna. Semua ada bahagian masing-masing. Tuhan itu maha adil.

Tapi manusia yang paling lahanat dan jahanam adalah orang yang bakar baby sendiri. Memang cilakaaaa!!!!!! Harap ko mati nanti mati terbakar la. Baru ko rasa betapa sakitnya mati dalam keadaan camtu.

6 tahun dah berlalu....

2010-02-16T00:20:00.002+08:00

6 years ago, I made a decision. A big one. I was not sure whether it was the right decision. I wasn't sure whether I would be happy. I wasn't sure whether it suited me.

But today, I'm still thankful and grateful to God for guiding into making this decision. I'm happy and proud of my job.

Happy anniversary PTD 1/2004!!!!

Now they burn babies? WTF?!!!!

2010-02-14T00:40:00.004+08:00

Did you watch the news this evening? Some f**ker burnt a one day old baby. Son of a bitch!!!!

I was so furious, profanities went out of my mouth like nobody business. F**k!!! What the hell is going on here??!!! Have we lost our senses? Have we lost our mercy? Have we lost our faith? Have we lost our love? Are we still human?

This idiot threw an innocent baby into a dumpster and then burnt it. Crazy psycho f**ker. This inhumane act rates this f**ker as the lowest of the lowest scums in the history of humankind. F**k!!!

You don't cancel out your sins by committing another sins la stupid. If you don't want the baby, don't kill him. Give it away la. There are a lot of childless couples and I'm sure they are more than happy to embrace and care for the baby.

I don't know what your fate is f**ker, but it's between you and GOD. If it's up to me, you'll rot in hell forever.

This would be the saddest thing that I have ever watched in TV so far. The scene of the burnt baby was so sad. So sad it turned into anger.

The Jabatan Agama must do their jobs. Stop giving out ceramah for money. Yeah, I know for sure you are giving your ceramahs for money! That is all you could think under you shiny skull cap. Shame on you la ustazs and ustazahs. Please stop hiding behind the microphone and claim that is your dakwah. Come on, focus on the real problems. Start doing your jobs as the so called 'pendakwah'.

The youth are straying away and still you do nothing about it? Wake up!! I know it is not exclusively up to the people of Jabatan Agama. The society too need to play their role. But at least those who claim they have the ilmu must lead.

All I can do now is to pray that this will happen to my family. Simpang malaikat 44. I swear I would give them love and the necessary ilmu. Ya Allah bantulah hambuMu yang lemah ini....

p/s: sorry for the harsh entry. I'm just so sad and angry

2 down, 1 to go

2010-02-10T23:59:00.004+08:00

Just finished my statistics exam today. What a relief.....

I was a little bit worried. Dulu-dulu kan, we spent a whole semester to cover the syllabus. But in this course, we had less than a week to cover everything. Crazy I tell you.

Of course, I did study stats in uni and in DPA. But that was ancients ago. My brain apparently got a bit rusty now. That, combined with my natural born laziness, compounded my gelabahness.

The only thing that calmed me was that it was an open book test. I usually hate open book test, because it is damn hard. But given the short time frame, I guess it's a bargain. The calculation part is not a biggy. But the theory part. It's really a pain in the butt!

I hope to pass this exam la. It would be a real torture to sit for it again. I'm not asking much, just pass. So far, I think I could see the light la. Hope is there. Jangan ada black out dah la.

You guys pray for me la eh. Nanti aku belanja teh tarik :)

Hello

2010-02-03T00:44:00.003+08:00

I've been busy lately. No mood to update though I do have a lot to rant. Dunno why la.

Currently I'm in INTAN undergoing the compulsary 6-week Quantitative Analysis course. This week is week 4. It's actually relaxing. Not much pressure. And I'm back in INTAN's dormitory. Never thought I'd be back to stay in one of these rooms again.

All the DPA routines come back to haunt me. The long and uphill journey to the dining hall. The 11 pm curfew. The constant reminder that we are 'peserta kursus' - INTAN will always be INTAN.

But of course, it's not as strict as DPA. We could make use of the elevators. Transport is provided form class to the dining hall. The curfew is not actually enforced. But I do try my best to be back by 11 la. Just to make sure not to push them too hard. Politik beb politik.

Ok la. I'll be back in the office in the final week of February. Still a long way to go. See you guys then la eh. Babai!

Sombre 2010

2010-01-01T11:44:00.004+08:00

Tun M in is his book Malay Dilemma said, in a gist 'the law does not bring justice, it only provides the opportunity to bring justice'. I now know what he means.

The court's decision to grant the right to Catholic Herald to use the word ALLAH is an utterly disgrace to justice. At least in my opinion.

Was it according to the law? Yup, I guess at least to the interpretation of the sitting judge. But was justice being done? I believe not.

I feel that the judge was unfair in her decision. So what is fair? To me, it is by putting something in its rightful place. And granting a Catholic magazine the right to use the word ALLAH in their publication in a county like Malaysia seems to be awkward isn't it? It may be legally correct decision in the eye of the law. But was it correct in bringing fairness to the society and country as a whole? You figure it out.

So, today there would be a protest at the Wilayah Mosque after Friday prayer. Unfortunately, I can't be there. But, I believe I have to do my part in this issue. Hence, this entry.

I certainly don't know what is the agenda of Catholic Herald to pursue the usage of the word ALLAH in their publication when they know this is a majority Muslim country. I bet it was done not in good intention or at least from social point of view. Are they too naive to understand the consequences? Only a retard wouldn't understand the consequences.

This decision will definitely bring threat to the security to this country. In what way? I wouldn't want to go deep on that. Lu pikir la sendiri.....

p/s : my friends in Home Ministry have a lot on their plates now. Don't give up you guys

Invictus

2009-12-29T23:25:00.002+08:00

Look for this movie. Starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman. Watch it. I found it inspiring.

Seriously, watch it, it'll be a 2 hour worth of your time. I promise.

Well, let me give you the gist. It's about the struggle of Nelson Mandela after he secured the No. 1 post in South Africa. It's about unifying South Africa.

Now, in our context, let's not go that far ie national level. Let's start with your own race. Yup, your very own race. Try to forgive and forget. After all, that's what Islam taught us.

Watch it ok.

Tak ujan pon

2009-12-27T23:51:00.005+08:00

We went to a friend's wedding in Sungai Petani yesterday. Met some old friends from Labu. It was great. It's not easy to meet up nowadays since we all have our own lives to concentrate on. So a mini reunion like yesterday was a blessing.

A friend commented on Akif hairstyle:

Syed : Waa...ada style la rambut dia....

Aku : ehehh...style hujan beb

Syed : aahah...Noh Hujan!!!

Suddenly Akif responded.....

Akif : Tak ujan pon abah!!! - sambil tengok ke langit....

ehehehhh....Akif...Akif lain kali jangan menyampuk cakap orang tua

Only 32

2009-12-26T23:48:00.003+08:00

Yup I'm 32 years old today. A couple of years ago, I freaked out about being in the 30s group. But today not anymore. Still feeling young and free :)

Anyways, having a birthday is meaningless without family and friends. And Alhamdulillah I'm blessed with both. So, to those who sent their wishes through FB, SMS and orally, I can only thank you. You guys made my day.

To my wife, thank you for the lovely Birthday Card :)

So now, for next year, I've decided not to make any resolution. I think new year's resolution is overrated :) The most important thing is to live your life to the fullest. But of course I'm hoping that faith, fate and luck will always be on my side. Whatever comes, I hope I could go through it with bravery and dignity.

See you guys. And thanks for all the wishes!!!!

American Pie

2009-12-23T12:44:00.006+08:00

I've seen the latest American Pie : The Book of Love

I'd rate it as 'OK la'.

I still believe that the original American Pie is the best. I don't know why, but it seems that the recent versions of American Pie have lost its touch.

I missed the original casts. They were hilarious.

However, the latest American Pie is still acceptable. Thanks to the hotter and sexier chicks :)

We WONNNNNNNNNN

2009-12-18T22:36:00.003+08:00

SWWWWEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!

After 20 years, it was worth it!!

Thank You you guys. You made us proud! Feels good to be WINNERS huh?? So please get addicted to it!!!

Now, don't stop there ok. Aim higher from now on. Malaysia Boleh!!!!

And Selamat Menyambut Awal Muharram!!!

Bagi can la

2009-12-16T23:48:00.002+08:00

The truth hurts. Yup, it's true. Especially to those who are afraid of their own shadows. They would do anything to stop the truth from being told. Hence, the spin that the truth is actually an act of brainwashing.

Brainwash. It sounds scary huh? Especially if you are living a lie. Why? Because defending a lie is actually a struggle. So, the solution is ..... stop the lying.

If you want a person to stop the brainwash, you too must do the same. It has to be mutual.

Ok la, let me shoot straight to the point. Stop brainwashing our children. Stop training them to be racists and bigots. If you are one, fine, it's your decision. But let your children decide on their own.

Let our children and their generation decide what they want from each other. Stop planting the seed of racism in their minds. Let them learn the meaning of living together, to appreciate the unique existence of their friends.

Don't teach them about colors. Let them see their friends as one color no matter how brown, yellow or dark their skins are.

Friendship has to be laced with sincerity. With sincerity, respect will follow. Let them care and help each other.

Stop the selfish agenda of your community and embrace the agenda of the country. The truth is, this country has a lot to offer, enough for everyone to share. Whether we like it or not, everyone is here to stay. If you can't accept that. Please...by all means find another country that suits your needs.

Do not question the formula we've been practicing for the past 5 decades. It works. There's no need to downgrade or upgrade it. Our formula is unique. It suits us just right. So please..... appreciate it. Give our children a chance. Give this country a chance.....

p/s : sori la....this entry is quite berterabur...:P

The Elusive Gold Medal

2009-12-16T23:12:00.003+08:00

Can't wait for the final match tomorrow. Malaysia vs Vietnam. Hope we'll triumph over them.

I think everyone knows that Vietnam is a good team. They did beat us in the group match. But anything is possible right?

As a fan, I do understand that winning and losing is part of the game. But the players too must understand that the fans demand nothing less than an impressive display. We want to see our team to play beautiful and smart football. If we win, it's a bonus, a job well done. If we lose, I reckon the fans will understand.

Moreover, the fans' expectation do not stop here. We want to see the team be elevated to a higher level. World cup would be too far fetched, so take it slow. The Asian Cup for example. Our participation is long overdue. It's a good chance for football to draw the fans back to our empty stadiums.

Don't give us hope. We've had hope inside of us for a very long time. And believe or not, despite the glamor of EPL, we still long for a formidable Malaysian football team. Deep inside our hearts, we want it to happen. So make it happen you guys.

For tomorrow's game, I'd say it's a 50-50 chance. But the voice inside of me is saying that we might be celebrating tomorrow. MIGHT. Hope we will.

I can't wait to see the Jalur Gemilang being hoisted. I can't wait to hear the Negaraku being played in the background. Mannn......that would be so emotionally awesome. And when that time comes, I'd sure be standing up and sing along in my own living room. Hope I wont cry :)

So all the best you guys!! Make us proud ya!

BTN@Balik Pulau

2009-12-09T19:39:00.004+08:00

Amid the hot controversy regarding BTN, I just got back from one.

From 3rd to 7th of December I was in Balik Pulau attending BTN course for Master/PhD & Sub-Specialist for oversea candidates. It was awesome. Seriously.

This would be my 3rd BTN and 4th of such course. This one was different from the ones I attended before. It was full of information and fun too. I don't know, maybe because I'm more matured (MATURED ok not old) now then I was before. So, I could really appreciate the information fed to me and my friends.

Some say that the government uses BTN to brainwash our hearts and minds. But in reality, the ideology that we have today, is a result of us being brainwashed from the day we were born. We were brainwashed by the environment, people and gossips around us.

We always use our emotion rather than our brain to interpret anything. Why? We simply do not have the knowledge. We are too dependent on third parties whose credibility could be questioned. So, BTN provides these knowledge. It's up to us whether to use it or not.

I felt that the course had taught me of who I am and my purpose in this country. Sometimes, we are proud of what we have contributed to this country, but in reality, there are a lot more for us to do. This country needs us. We just cannot take her for granted.

Remember, we took her for granted once; and we paid it with 446 years of colonization. Now, we are given a second chance. If we still screw this up, we might lose her forever.

I'm proud that my friends from the other races too acknowledge the benefit they get from BTN. They say that now their views about this country and the constitution are much more clearer. They are now more patriotic than ever.

I've said this before, and I'd say it again. I love this country. This is my Tanah Air. This is my Tanah Pusaka. This country is my 'warisan' and the 'warisan' of my children. OUR children. Don't make them pay for our mistakes. I was born here and I hope to die here. I would defend her with all my life and soul.

In my way of course....

We Will Not Forget

2009-11-28T19:03:00.004+08:00

There's this effort to bring back Chin Peng to Malaysia. This effort is masterminded by people who see nothing but politics and powers. They are not being insensitive. They are just being chauvinist pigs. Sometimes I suspect that they are the actual communist agents trying to revive the moment in this country. There are rumors that these people are actually the descendants of Chin Peng himself.

I despise these people. To me, they are nothing but traitors. You see, I agree that politic is dirty. Politicians are dirty. But to take politic to this level is utterly disgusting. It's a direct threat to the peace and harmony of this country.

Let's not be part of this effort. We must vehemently reject this effort. Let's not forgive this terrorist and never forget the atrocities that he and his ilks had brought to this country.

So, since it is Hari Raya Korban. Let's recount one of the sad stories that should remind us of why we should not forget.

The Siege of Bukit Kepong (Kepung): The Malayan Alamo

by A L (Paddy) Bacskai

Kampong Bukit Kepong Police Station, lay at the SW apex of a big bend in the Muar river at around the 65km mark and upstream from its mouth on the west coast of the State of Johore in Malaya. The village itself was small and isolated - consisting of about twenty shops and groups of accompanying houses - and by early 1950 the area had became a hive of CT activity. From the month of January onwards, there had been a noticeable increase in the tempo of contacts & incidents - both road and river ambushes amongst other - but the most disconcerting of all, was the discovery of blazed trail markings showing the way towards the town. The nearest township of note to BK was Lenga, about 10km to the south along a rough enemy controlled dirt road in a vehicle or a 2 ½ hour foot patrol, but apart from this, it was just a few other like kampongs scattered about. The station was commanded by OCPS Sgt Ray Dancey - an old Palestine hand and away at the time and a point not missed by the CT - and manned by a mixed platoon of 15 Malay Regular and Marine Police Constables under the stocky and redoubtable Sgt Jamil Mohd Shah. At the time this force was complimented by three Special Constables (SC) and four local Auxiliary Police (AP) as needed by the post to assist with the guarding and other duty. A force of 22 all told. Thirteen police wives and children were also lodged in the married quarters at the rear of the compound. Communications in and out of BK were poor - hence the marine police attachments and the station’s launch service down to Muar - and signals to and from its nearest neighbour Kampong Java at about a kilometre away, as with kampongs Gek & Tui further on, was by the use of gongs. Even the outpost’s name was ominously translated as 'Siege Hill’- but this was historically believed to have originated from it’s 186m namesake 5km to the east. Now in the early AM darkness of the 23rd of February 1950, the 200 strong 4th Independent Coy under the joint leadership of one of the few Malay CTs within the MRLA called Muhammad Indera AKA Mat Indra from Muar (the main leader was believed the tactical mastermind & Commissar Goh Peng Tun), well armed with a full compliment of infantry weapons, began its move in towards the BK compound (for layout see map). The CT’s aim was to teach the police post a comprehensive lesson and to use it as an example to others and Mat Indra - who wore a talisman around his neck and so believed bulletproof by some - was contemplating a quick and easy straight forward job. As February the 23rd 2000 was the 50th Anniversary of the Battle at Bukit Kepong - an epic by any standard at arms - the following is a reconstruction of the phases of the battle which followed:

0400hrs - after some difficulty in the darkness, the CT Coy deploys to complete the encirclement of BK. The group is accompanied by some of the wives and children and these are to act as medical staff and to carry away the CT KIA (mainly in gunny sacks provided). Half the force is deployed to the front and main parts of the compound (Group 1), with the other half in Pl group lots (Groups 2 & 3), deployed to the other three sides. At this point, there is only L/Cpl Jidin bin Omar and SC Abdul Kadir Jusoh within the Charge Room, and two APs in Samad Yatin & Osman Yahya on guard in the compound backed by SC Jaffar Hassan with a Sten. There is also every indication, that the latter had become aware of the CT’s movements,

0430hrs - SC Jaffar challenges and fires on a CT who is seen to fall and the attack on the wire begins and builds up to the accompaniment of screaming and bugle blasts and although all forward sides are attacked simultaneously, the CTs mainly concentrate on the penetration of the front of the installation and where the post’s main strong-points are housed. They had expected to totally surprise the station - but are in turn! Caught completely by surprised by the volume and intensity of the return fire. This particularly from the two Bren Guns embedded underneath the Charge Room - it being a raised structure on posts - but also as from within the C/R itself as well as from the back and sides of the compound. Around this juncture, AP Osman is KIA and SC Jaffar is wounded, with the wives and children of the policemen fully noted assisting their menfolk with the defence of the base,

0450hrs - the initial CT assault is beaten back after a protracted exchange but at the loss of Sgt Jamil who had been manning one of the Brens under the C/R, and who is now seen slumped lifeless over one of the weapons. There were trapdoors in use for access down to the Bren guns. Command is now assumed by the junior NCOs like the youthful and diminutive Cpl Mohd Yassin and the much larger L/Cpl Jidin bin Omar (later fatally WIA)and combined casualties for both sides at this time, are placed at a dozen plus. The police wives and children left sheltering in the flimsy walled and also elevated married quarter building behind, make up a good portion of this. Also as such, at around this period. Four of the wives and five children manage to make their escape out of the compound,

0500hrs - Auxiliary Police and small groups of citizen volunteers are mobilised around Kampong Java under the headman Penghulu Ali bin Mustaffa, and these react to the attack by going to BK’s aid. They’re expected by the CT rearguard however and in turn ambushed and held engaged in skirmishes and suffering casualties. About this time the defenders main firepower in the two Bren guns back at the station, are knocked out,

0530hrs - the CTs continue a number of assaults on the wire and lighting and which provides them with a small breach at the front side and with which they attempts an envelopment of the C/R but are still held and beaten back from within and from the interlocking fire from the married quarters. Some of the weapons are at this point wielded by the wives remaining. Mat Indra is reported frantic at the lack of progress after an hour and wary of the approaching daylight, calls for an all out bayonet charge at 0600. Both the compound and CT casualties had mounted and are being treated in situ by the wives and children as before. The CT casualties had been retrieved under fire, and it was noted how the police would not fire at the women and children so involved.

0600hrs - visibility is now better and the CTs hit the wire again in a frantic mass as ordered, but are again surprisingly beaten back with the exception of some further gains at the SW rear and left hand side by the married quarters. Mat Indra now calls for a pause to reconsider his options. During this period and as it had been throughout the engagement, loud hailers and personal voice addresses had been used on the defenders in an attempt to get them to surrender. But to no avail - in spite of the fact that they had suffered badly - and just as the many alternate offers of ‘safe conduct’ out of the area had been treated with defiance and derision,

0700hrs - the frontal targets are now isolated by the CTs and all efforts concentrated in the vicinity of the previous gains around the rear and SW side and this providing them with an instant result. One of the police wives captured in this thrust, Miriam Ibrahim the wife of Constable Mohamad Jaafar, told her captors that only an other woman and her young child were left alive in the married quarters. The CTs force Miriam to appeal to the men to surrender but this is duly ignored. About this time, Fatimah Yaaba and her son Hassan are also taken, also asked to appeal to the men, and on refusal Fatimah is executed. Her husband Constable Abu Bakar Daud the base’s MP launch driver down at his duty station on the Muar river - perhaps aware of the personal tragedy which had just taken place - elects to fight to the death in a skirmish with the CT sent to capture and sink his launch. In the final outcome he is shot through the chest & arm. There are indicators that some others were either sent or also went to assist him with getting away for help. But this group is also assumed engaged by the CTs. And although its also believed that the MP Constable could have saved himself if he chose by starting his motors and casting off, he never ever did. At this point, the CTs consolidate their hold on the rear of the complex through the torching of both the launch (which sank) and the married quarters - with the reported wife Saadiah and daughter Simah still alive inside and refusing to come out - and throwing the executed woman’s body into the flames as well. Also about this time, the villagers of Durian Chondong a riverine kampong to the west, dispatched a boat down to Lenga to inform the police of the attack,

0800hrs - full daylight and with the rear of the compound ablaze, the CTs execute a determined grenade ‘pincer’ attack against the C/R and are finally successful. Setting it ablaze as well. Then picking off both male and female survivors attempting to get out with rifle shots - some seen with their clothing fully on fire at this point - and capturing Hassan bin Abu Bakar the young son of badly wounded MP Constable Abu Bakar in the process. Hassan was caught in the vicinity of the silenced Bren guns, with some believing that he was the last person seen standing or perhaps even attempting to fire, one of the weapon at this duty station. Perhaps he was just too shocked to leave his comatose father nearby or his dead mother Fatimah’s funeral pyre. But either way! The brave lad was thrown live into the raging flames of the C/R along with all the dead and wounded police defenders including Sgt Jamil. Also about this time, news of the attack is relayed to Police District HQ at Pagoh, and a relief force of Jungle Squad and Seaforth Highlanders is prepared for a forced march to BK,

0930hrs - Mat Indra finally declares the objective taken - five hours after the commencement of what had been considered a simple action - and stating that they the MRLA ‘had dealt a glorious blow against the Imperialists and for the Liberation of the Oppressed People’ (he would later be KIA in an ambush)- infact Mat Indra was captured and later hanged in Perak Priosn, Taiping if i am not mistaken. Also around this time, a boatful of villagers from Durian Chondong and coming to investigate and to assist, are also engaged by the CT force as they pull out,

0940hrs - a spotter aircraft also sent out to investigate, calls back to base that there is nothing but a charred ruin - ‘with no signs of life in evidence’

1030hrs - the exhausted relief force from Pagoh led by OC JJ Raj Jr, finally arives to take charge and is greeted by scenes of massive devastation. But the refurbishment of the BK station area, at times a slow refurbishment, does now begin,

12 Regular Police, two Special Constables, all of the four Auxiliary Police and four dependants, a total of 22, fought to the death at the Battle of Bukit Kepong. AP Constable Ali Akop bin Ahmad, who had earlier been cited for a Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry for a previous action, and once out of rounds, was last seen charging the barbed wire with his parang as example. A further four constables were found severely wounded within the compound. Of these survivors, as apart from the women and children who had managed to slip out much earlier, only PC Yusof Rono and well in his seventies now, is still alive today. A further two APs were also KIA and a number of locals WIA during the relief actions as mentioned. The CTs would only ever admit to around 10 casualties, but a quadruple of this would be very much closer to the mark. From the outset, the garrison had been outnumbered ten to one yet it never slackened in its resolve to do its duty. Even after the death of Sgt Jamil, and who is credited with the setting of the tone of the resistance, no one nor at anytime, appeared to consider the numerous offers of surrender or ‘safe conduct’ held out to them by the CT. Bukit Kepong was also the first real indicator for the MRLA, that the affable layback Malay, might just not be the easy mark that had been estimated. And that they would clearly constitute an additional factor in their the MCP’s, over simplistic overview of Red independence and rule in Malaya. It was also noted how quickly the humble kampong Malays, reverted to the fatalistic strength of their Muslim faith when cornered. In the final analysis, the words of an SEP who was one of the attacking force expresses it all - ‘I admired them at the time, and admire them to this very day’.

Taken from http://askarjahat.fotopages.com/?entry=1085654

What Goes Around Comes Around

2009-11-12T23:45:00.009+08:00

When you are a government servant, accepting money through any means and forms other than your salary is WRONG. Be 10 sen or 10 billion. It's still WRONG. It's as simple as that.

Even if your culture sees it as normal, the culture of the government sees it as WRONG. And since you are a government servant, you are tied to the government culture. And therefore, it is undoubtedly, unequivocally, undeniably WRONG.

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

To Potong or not to Potong

2009-11-12T23:19:00.007+08:00

I think some Malaysians have lost their senses. They cry when they are supposed to laugh. They laugh when they are supposed to cry. They are happy when they are supposed to be sad. They are sad when they are supposed to be happy. Or maybe they are just grumpy. I don't know...

I think this 'potong' issue is really being blown out of proportion. I mean, who the hell is offended by the word 'potong'? Men? I don't think so. If there is a man out there who is offended by it, there must be something wrong with him.

And women? Why on earth would they be offended? They don't have the 'thing' to potong in the first place. Well, technically they do, but potong is usually synonymous to men.

They even call it a 'vulgar' word. WTF???!!! Vulgar??!! Come onnnn....it's not vulgar you moron....it's a double meaning word. And since when we are overly sensitive with double meaning words? From Pi Mai Pi Mai Tang Tu to Senario to Raja Lawak; all of these series have been using double meaning words as part of their comedy. So what's wrong of using it in a commercial?

And what's wrong if 'potong' in infering to circumcision? Is it a taboo or something? I have never recalled if my mother scolded me whenever I use that word.

And what about this crap of taking this issue to the Cabinet? Come onnnn.....give the ministers a break....they have more important thing to do ok. So please leave them out of this. Better still leave this issue alone. It's just a joke.

Give yourself a break. Sometimes you gotta cut some slacks. Rilek la brader....

Facelift

2009-11-10T23:28:00.002+08:00

Updated @ Nov 12
Okey. I'm finally satisfied with this one. I think it suits me well.

Original Post
Got a new template....

While browsing, I thought this one looks cool.....but now not so much...but see how la eh

Scrapped!

2009-11-08T23:43:00.006+08:00

Recently, the government proposed that cars older more than 15 years must undergo a compulsory check at Puspakom. The purpose is to ensure that these cars are road safe. However, there were noises from some quarters against this ruling especially the antique car enthusiasts. Consequently, this ruling was eventually scrapped.

Well, I would understand that some people may not be happy with this ruling. That's normal. You just cannot make everybody happy. But to scrap the whole idea? Not so smart....

One can deduce a lot of reasons from this ruling scrapping. One, it may infer that the government didn't do a thorough study before coming up with the proposal. Second, it shows that the government listens to the rakyat.

I bet the scrapping is more due to the latter. It may sound as a good thing but to me it is the wrong thing to do. Yes, as politicians, we must always make people happy. But the fact is, it is impossible to do. You can never make everyone happy. So, if there is just a small group of people screaming their discontent toward the ruling, why bother scrapping it. Have they forgotten about the silent majority?

This act of bowing to unnecessary demands must stop now. I reckon sooner or later it could back fire. Remember, majority rules! If the government keeps on doing this, then there is nothing more to enforce. Do you think Singaporeans were happy when their government imposes their various laws? I don't think so. But over time, they get used to it. Malaysians can do that too. Malaysia Boleh right?!!

I hope, this will not recur in the future. It is embarrassing. It is as if the government has no spine.

RM500 je??!!!

2009-10-26T19:33:00.002+08:00

Aiseyman....korang ni rilek la. Jangan la merungut. RM500 tu duit jugak.

Cuba la jadi orang yang bersyukur sket. Allah dah cakap.....kalo kita bersyukur, Dia akan tambah lagi rezeki kita, tapi kalo kita kufur, maka seksa nerakaNya amatlah pedih. So, amik la pedoman. RM500 tu kalo korang pegi mintak kat tepi jalan belum tentu dapat lagi tau. Yang orang keje swasta satu sen pon tak dapat tau. Ni tak, tau nak membangkang je. Sedar la sket, korang tu dah la keje dengan kerajaan, tapi asek nak membangkang je. Syukur la dengan rezeki yang ada.

Lagi satu, cuba la patriotik sket. Korang bukan tatau ekonomi skang ni tak stabil, so kita kena la paham, kerajaan bukan nak menjaga government servant je tau, satu Malaysia ni kerajaan kena jaga tau. Jadi bila orang dah bagi tu amik je la. Jangan banyak bunyi. Nanti kalo Malaysia ni bankrap, baru korang tau, kerajaan nak bayar gaji pon takleh. Lagipon, sebagai pegawai kerajaan, kita kena sedar yang hak kita ni cuma satu je - GAJI. Selebihnya tu ie cuti, bonus, kursus semua hanya KELAYAKAN sahaja. Sedar la diri sket.

So, jom la kita beringat. Aku cakap ni bukan sebab nak kata aku ni bagus. Takkk....bukan camtu. Aku cuma nak kita sama2 beringat. Rezeki tu datang dari Tuhan, kalo Dia nak tarik bila-bila masa pon Dia bleh tarik. Ingat ye...jang buat-buat lupa plak.

VICTORRRRR!!!!!!!!

2009-10-26T00:12:00.002+08:00

THEY WON! THEY WON!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

IT'S LIVERPOOL 2 MAN U 0!!!

AHH...SWEET TASTE OF GLORY

DON'T STOP THERE LADS!!!! KEEP ON WINNING OK!!!

Beyonce

2009-10-25T12:42:00.002+08:00

Today was supposed to be the day where fans would throng to one of the biggest and richest singer in the world's concert. She is Ms Beyonce Knowles. But unfortunately, Beyonce has cancelled (or rescheduled) it. Well, too bad.

I'm not a fan of Beyonce. In fact, she annoys me. I hate the way she uses her body to sell her songs. What irks me the most is that she is actually NOT that hot. She seems to be denying that facts. This to me is a sign of lack of confidence. Not in her singing though. She's a spectacular singer. Nobody would doubt that. What I'm trying to say that she lacks confidence in her appearance.

For years now she's been preaching the world that she is bodylicious. Hence, her revealing music videos and the dreadful catwalks and etc etc. Her clinging to saying like 'real woman got curve' really humors me.

To me, to have a talent a big as hers, there's no need for her to be sexy. Fans will still listen to her songs even though she's not sexy. I'm not saying that it's ok to be ugly. In the entertainment world, you do need to have the face that would lure people to the CD shops. But looks alone won't help you to fame right?

Just look at Celine Dion, she's superb singer, there's no need for her to wear thongs to make her point heard.

I think Beyonce needs to accept the fact that she will always be a little bit fleshy. She will never be as hot as Halle Berry, Liz Hurley, Rihanna etc etc. But she could always bet on her talent.

Well, this is my 2 cents lah.

Sunday Special

2009-10-25T11:40:00.003+08:00

Yup, it's tonight. But I'm a little bit less enthusiastic than last season. Everything seems wrong for Liverpool this season ie. lack of charismatic players, injuries, lack of fund etc etc.

Judging by their current form, I'd say they have 30%-40% chance of winning. Man U is clearly the better team this time around. Not to say that I'm not 'patriotic', I'm just being realistic. But you know what, this type of game has a different aura, so it should be any team's game to win. Deep in my heart, I hope Liverpool will be victorious. Hopefully....

We love the 90's

2009-10-23T17:58:00.005+08:00

Form 2, lawatan ke utara

PPP/ITM

403/11 PPP/ITM

Form 2

hari last SPM 94

Kursus BTN in 1993

Kat McD yg kat belakang Kotaraya

Form 5, aku yg sebelah tue merah tu

Funny eh? Dah puas gelakkan aku? ahahahha....aku pon gelakkan aku. Mannnn....I don't want to be that kid again. But I always have the kid in me though....:)

Finally

2009-10-23T17:46:00.005+08:00

Sitting from left: Imran, Wan Cibai, Wan Karim, Achik and Ihsan

Back from left: Me and Norzie

A picture of Azwan aka Wan Cibai. Remember him? He passed away a few months ago. Many asked me to produce his pic. But I couldn't find one. Just now Achik uploaded few pictures on his FB, and there he is. Thanks Achik.

This picture was taken at a bowling alley in PKNS Shah Alam probably in 1996.

Motherly Role

2009-10-22T14:03:00.004+08:00

My wife is currently away. She's in Beijing on a company's trip. So, I'm left at home with the boys. She's never been on a company's trip before. She's always excused herself and I too, was reluctant to let her go. But this time, I think it's time for her to really enjoy herself.

This would her first time to be away from the boys. You see, since 19the December 2003, she has never stopped from being a wife nor a mother. So, I see this as a gift to her. This is her break from home so that she could enjoy her time with her friends.

It's time for me to endure the experience of being a mother. Eheheh...well, I see this as an opportunity to bond with the boys. They need to know that they could depend on me too.

The boys have never slept without her mother on their sides. This would be their first. Well, that's not entirely true eh. Alif did sleep with me when my wife gave birth to Akif. For one night only. Now, they are going to spend 5 nights without her.

Last night was the first. Alif was cool. Maybe he's more mature now. But Akif had some problem facing the fact that his mother is not around. He kept asking and when I explained, he cried. Luckily dia ni senang nak pujuk.

This morning, he woke up at 6.45 and immediately jumped out of bed and called for his mother. When he realized she's not around he cried again. But just for a while though. Once he was calm, he was back to his normal self.

So, overall, everything seems to be fine. I hope I could maintain the momentum. Insya Allah

My Raya Ups and Downs

2009-10-19T12:00:00.008+08:00

Syawal 1430H has ended with many memories, good ones and not so good. I decided to wait until today to post my Hari Raya entry. I feel that Hari Raya post will become a cliche if you post it right after Hari Raya holidays. So I waited.

My ups

I believe that I've performed better in the Ramadhan. I mean I was a better Muslim this year. I do not to elaborate. Just to make things clear, it has nothing to do with my ability to fast ok. I've been fasting full since I was in primary school ok.

I received nearly 200 hundred SMSes wishing me Selamat Hari Raya. Thanks you guys!

This year, for the first time we were able to wear our Baju Rayas with the same color theme. Turquoise. I'm very happy.

Raya preparation went smoothly. There was a minor hiccup with my wife Baju Raya. But we manage to solve it.

My uncles and aunties gathered at my parents house on the first day of raya. We haven't been able to do that since my grandmother passed away in 2001. When she was gone, my mom's siblings seemed lost and we celebrated Hari Raya in small groups. But this year almost everyone were there. I could see the happiness in my mom's face to see all of her adik-adiks to visit her. We are actually a big family you know. My mom is the eldest of 10 siblings. I have more that 40 cousins. We used to have more than 50 people in my grandparents' house on Raya eve. Can you imagine the chaos? :)

My office organized a Majlis Hari Raya. We invited all HODs, Village Heads, etc, etc. It was a blast, full house.

My Downs

I sent out 50 raya cards to my friends. Only one replied. The rest, they prefer SMS. It's not that I do not appreciate SMSes. But the feeling in different. Getting a card brings more joy to me.

My car broke down of Raya ke4. We were on our way to Sg Petani to attend a friend's wedding. The feul pump was the culprit. The car broke down in Bukit Merah. I had no choice but to have it towed. The nearest Proton Service center was in Taiping. So the car was towed while all of us were in the car. To make things worst, that day was the day the Celcom's network crashed. I couldn't call anyone for help. This is my most frustrating experience ever.

My car repair works cost me a little more than 1k. That really swung my budget for Hari Raya. So now I'm a little bit tight in cash.

The day after my car was brought back from the workshop, the battery conked. Another RM250 went down the drain.

So that's how I spent my Syawal 1430H. Lebih kurang. Of course these are just the significant ones. But basically, apart from being tight in cash. Everything went according to plan.

tidor sebab kepanasan

punya la panas dalam kereta sampai merah muka diorang
Di atas tow truck
aku yang tengah termenung

alif main basikal di pagi raya

yang ni pon sama

My wife and I

Ah, Liverpool

2009-10-19T11:34:00.002+08:00

I surrender. I have given up hope on Liverpool's challenge this year.

On Saturday they stamped their worst ever season in recent years. They suffered their 4th defeat in 9 games. Unbelievably miserable.

The loss was actually conceded with the 'help' of their own fan. A boy threw a beach ball into the pitch. Later, a shot by a Sunderland striker hit the beach ball and deflected it into the goal leaving Pepe Reina helpless.

I saw the goal and I immediately knew that the game was not worthwhile to watch.

The line up was also a 'kamikaze' one as described by a friend of mine. No Gerrard, Torres and Mascherano. Leaving the midfield to Lucas 'hopeless' Leiva and a rookie by the name of Spearing. The flanks were occupied by Benayoun and Babel. Kuyt was the lone striker. In defence, the manager decided to field 5 defenders. Looking at result, he should have put everybody in defence. ehehehh.....

Hmmmm.....the match had stripped Liverpool true ability. They do not have formidable subtitutes. So when Gerrard is injured, they might as well throw the game before it even started.

But to say that is actually unfair. There were a lot of matches in previous seasons where the team was unable to field its first 11. But still they could managed a victory. There's something about this season that really bothers them. I don't know what. But if I had to guess, it would be because of losing Xabi Alonso. So far Lucas is always hopeless. Aquilani has yet to debut.

The manager needs to do something fast. Or else the players will slowly lose their confidence in the team. This might prompt them to flee next season and hence weaken the team even more.

As for me, I would be happy if Liverpool finishes as top four. Bye-bye Premier League, bye-bye Champion's League. Better luck next year.

1 year

2009-10-14T23:59:00.010+08:00

Today completes my full year in my new office. Wooww..... I can't even believe myself that I've made it this far.

Since I set foot in this office, all I could think of was how to get out of this office. I believed then, that I was not the right person to head this office. I felt that I did not have the right persona for this job. And guess what, my view hasn't changed.

I couldn't achieve satisfaction in this job. The only thing that kept me going was the freedom it provides me. I technically don't have a boss. I am the boss of this office. I am the capo di tutti capi. I rule this office according to my whims. Well.....the majority of it... since I still have to report to my immediate superior once in a while. But that certainly doesn't kill the fun.

The job comes with heavy responsibility. Even though all I did was giving out orders, but the way the orders were carried out by my staffs reflect upon me. But alhamdulillah, I inherited a group of dedicated people who are professionals and transparent in carrying out their responsibilities. And I think they are also happy to have me on board (so far la).

I do have many sweet memories during my tenure here. For instance, last week I got a visit by a drunken guy. The guy came one day - drunk of course or maybe half drunk. As he entered my office, I could smell his breathe which was laced with alcohol. I told myself that this could be trouble. But I kept my composure and invited him to sit.

He started telling me his problem. He is a red ic holder. He's been applying to get a blue ic for as long as he has lived. He claimed he is pure Malaysian. His father was a blue ic bearer and so do all his children. He further iterated that his wish before he dies is to cast vote in the election. And of course, being drunk, he digressed a lot.

Me, not being able to bear with his pungent breathe offered him a solution. I wrote a letter to the National Registration Agency requesting them to help him with his problem. He was happy when he got the letter and left.

I thought that was it, but noooo....the next day he came back, still drunk at 8.30 in the morning!! He told me that the officers at the NRA didn't want to entertain him. I think I know why. Aiseh....I thought I could taichi this problem to NRA but apparently they have better taichi than me.....hampeh

But still, I entertained the guy. He reiterated the same story as before. So I said, I would help him to write another letter. Then suddenly he stopped talking and gave a scary grin.

"You know ah Tuan, saya suda 60 tahun duduk ini tempat. You are the only CADO who invite a kaki botol like me into your ....what you call this?? ahhh...your parliament!!!"... "you memang baik la Tuan. I salute you sir!!! so ini hal takpa la tuan. Forget about it. You layan saya ini macam pon sudah bagus. Thank you sir!!"

"No problem....saya cuma buat kerja saya saja....."

"Noooo!!!!! you BAIKKK!!!!" he screamed

"You sorang saja kata saya baik. Orang lain tak kata pon....tapi no problem laaa"

"Nooo.....You BAIKKKK!!!!!" he screamed again and this time louder. "I'll tell eveyone you are BAIKK!!!! Please sir, jangan pindah. Tunggu saya mati baru pindah...."

"Ye la.... ye la..."

"ok sir sir see you"....before he left he did this gesture like a hindu always does - he bowed as if he was touching my feet. Then he left.

After he left. I had this awkward feeling. I felt content. I didn't know why. As much as I hate having him in my office, this guy actually gave me something to cheer. I'm guessing maybe because he was drunk. A drunk always tells the sincerest truth. So maybe he was really sincere in appreciating my help.

You see, everyday I get a lot of people coming to see me. All of them are hypocrites. They pretend to smile and show appreciation and always say something good to me. These are all pembodeks. They only come to me when they need my help. And they thought I was such a fool to fall for it. I'm not a child la. I used to be a salesman so I'd know who is sincere and who is main wayang.

But since I've taken an oath to serve this country. I still entertain these pembodeks in the name of professionalism. I just hope that the society would change someday.

to the drunk guy whose name I've forgotten, thank you sir.

Happy Birthday Alif Hafi!

2009-10-13T23:31:00.002+08:00

sukanya bebudak ni bila dapat makan kek

sebelum tiup lilin

his friends are singing the happy birthday tune while akif looks on

the cake

Alif is 5 years old today. My wife brought cake and some goodies to his kindergarten. Akif was there too. My parents were also there as they were in the area.

Happy Birthday Alif. Jangan notti-notti eh. Abah loves you!!!

So you are stateless? Too bad....

2009-10-13T12:23:00.002+08:00

There are former Malaysians who are stateless now.

Ahahahah..... they thought the grass is greener in UK but unfortunately the truth hit them on their faces. On your face!!!! There is one guy, who was an architect in Malaysia and now he works as a dish washer in UK. Too badd....

These people voluntarily disowned this country and willingly apply to become a citizen of a so called better country than Malaysia. They are defectors!!! And now when nobody wants them, they've come back crawling to this hospitable country to claim back their citizenship.

Kudos to the Home Minister for telling them that they will be treated as any other foreign citizens. To me, they rightfully earned that kind of treatment. Pengkhianats....

Please remember you guys, citizenship is a privilege not a right. Remember that. So the next time you want to revoke your citizenship, make sure you are being accepted by the other country first. Ehehehh....

It's 109!!!

2009-10-05T12:20:00.003+08:00

Ahh...finally....the sweet taste of success

109 is my TOEFL score. The first one I got 98. So I retook the test believing I was much much better than 98. And I've proved it!! Alhamdulillah....Maybe it was the 'berkat' of Ramadhan.

Now....I need to start sending my Uni applications. Wish me luck!!!

p/s: this really is a good news after watching Liverpool crashing down to Chealsea last night. Hmm...please...will somebody please buy the team over form the Yanks. They are really starting to piss me off!!!

Some people just don't learn

2009-10-02T15:56:00.005+08:00

Some people say, no matter how bad the fall is, don't give up, regroup and get up. If you do this, you a smart person

However, if you fall and people explained to you why did you fall, you get up, and still commit the same mistake, you are just an idiot. This time, people wont help you anymore.

Hmm....

I like A. Kadir Jasin's take on Malaysian Politic - it defies logic!

Hacked?

2009-10-01T23:33:00.002+08:00

I've been meaning to post something. But the network at office has been nothing but sucks. It comes and goes. I heard that our network was hacked. Reaaaalllly?? Why would somebody hack a boring institution like us?

If you ask me....I would say those who is managing the network are a bunch of incompetent, lazy snobs. I reckon that those at HQ is enjoying an uninterrupted service. But people like me, who work in this far-far-away land only have craps to our face.

Right now, I'm surfing from a kedai mamak.

Whatever.....

1Malaysia F1 Team

2009-09-18T00:05:00.004+08:00

I don't know how to comment on this. A part of me support it, the other part are having some doubts.

RM1 billion a year. That means RM10 billion for ten years. Mannn...that's sure a lot of money.

This would be the biggest marketing strategy the government has ever had. At least to my knowledge.

On the positive side, this would be a golden opportunity to market Proton-Lotus collaboration and also Malaysia. Proton took over Lotus a long time ago. Since then, I don't see any big effort been taken to capitalize Lotus' big name in selling Proton. So by entering F1, this would be a big boost to Proton-Lotus collaboration image. The question is, will the world buy this gambit?

In terms of self motivating our own citizens, this is good. We would travel the world with some polished pride knowing that we could achieve the unthinkable. It's a big morale boost to all Malaysians. But what about the rest of the world? Will they recognize Proton? Will Proton be standing tall along BMW, Mercedes or even Honda and Toyota?

I don't know. I'm not a marketing guy nor an economist. This is just my 2 cent attempt on analyzing this issue.

But remember, that there were so many skeptics when we decided to produce our own car, the PLUS Highway and the Penang bridge. Now, we can never get enough of it. Hopefully this would turn into a good thing considering the huge amount of investment. Only time will tell. Stay positive guys!

Selamat Hari Raya!!!

Bye Bye Carlsberg!

2009-09-16T11:26:00.004+08:00

.................................could the new jersey be like this?

Wooohoooooooo.....

Finally....Liverpool will have a new sponsor - Standard Chartered - beginning 2010. It was described by Liverpool officials as one of the biggest sponsorship ever. Eheheh....bye-bye Carlsberg. See ya! Don't wanna be ya!

I'm so happy because finally we muslims could buy the actual Liverpool jersey. I've been waiting for this moment for like forever. The dilemma has finally ended. Waiting is torture!

So to all Liverpudlians, better save up from now eh. Once the new jersey is in the market, kita serbuuuuu!!!!

Raya Raya Raya

2009-09-15T15:19:00.006+08:00

Five more days to Hari Raya and five more days to leave Ramadhan.

It's a bitter sweet feeling eh.

In general, I think I've been performing better compared to last year's Ramadhan. I think so la. In what way? That's for me to know and for you to find out. Eheheheh.....

Anyways, I'd like to urge all radio stations to start playing raya songs as frequent as possible. I think they are still shy. C'mon man...it's the final week of puasa. It's the raya song time. Play 'em oredii!!!!

My favourite song would be 'Suasana Hari Raya' by Anuar & Ellina. I think the song is vibrant and suits the mode of Hari Raya which is about joy and happiness. Btw, how come the current generation of composers are unable to compose lovely raya songs like before eh? Brain dead eh?

The best modern raya song (by modern I mean 1990 and above la) would be M. Nasir's. Maybe a few others. But I reckon it is not more that five songs. Btw, I think 4U2C raya song is quite nice. Jangan gelak weiiii....but seriously, it's not bad....Jom try test nyanyi sket

Bergema takbir di pagi raya
Menyambut syawal
Bulan mulia
.
Bersyukur insan pada yang Esa
Berhari raya
Kita semua

To movie producers, please stop making sad raya movies. It's sickening!!!! This is Hari Raya ok. Let's do some happy movies eh. Not that it's bad to make sad raya movies. But to me we are sending the wrong signal about Islam. People would think that Islam is sad and gloomy and frustrating. A total killjoy!

Just look at Christmas movies. Can you find any sad movies? Nope. It's all about feel good movies. Of course there are a few sad scenes, but the scenes do not engulf the theme of the movie. So please check ok.

Anyways, hopefully this year's Raya would be better than last year's. Hmm....I actually don't intend to make this enstry as my raya entry, but JIC kalo tak sempat. Selamat Hari Raya to all!!! Maaf Zahir & Batin!!!!

Sincerely

Azrul & Family

Some Pics from my HP

2009-09-14T14:50:00.004+08:00

Ni cousin Alif & Akif. Nama Arissya

Antara mengantuk & lapar

Aku suka gambar nih

Tesco! Tesco!

Alif control la plak

No picture please!!!

Alif punya drawing. Suka betul dia bila teacher dia tampal kat cermin

Hidung Akif yang mahal tu. Sejemput je

Kiddy rides

Alif yg cool. Akif yg drama

Kiddy ride lagi. Kali ni naik je. Tapi tak jalan. Coins dah abis

You want a piece of me punk??!!

Jangan pegang perutkuuuuu

My Anger

2009-09-09T15:53:00.002+08:00

CILAKE BETULLA INDON NI!!!!

There....I've said it....

I know this will affect my pahala puasa.....

But I can't tahan anymore la....

Sons of bitches!!!!

These Indons need to be taught a lesson

We ought to do something

Come on you guys

Don't you feel anything when you look at the pics? Something? No?

Seriously man....

We need to do something....

and quick!!!

They seem like they are ready for war.....

Emotional betul la....

What are we going to do??

.
Kecoh punya Indon!!

The Pastor's Ass

2009-09-03T16:06:00.003+08:00

Got this from my wife. I tot I'd share it :)

A little humor with a good moral

The Pastor's Ass

The pastor entered his donkey in a race and It won. The pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the Race Again, and it won again. The local paper read:

PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT

The Bishop was so upset with this kind of Publicity that he ordered the Pastor not to enter the donkey in another race. The next day, the local paper headline Read:

BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS

This was too much for the bishop, so he Ordered the pastor to get Rid Of the donkey. The pastor decided to give it to a nun in a Nearby convent. The local paper, hearing of the news, posted The following headline the next day:

NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN

The bishop fainted. He informed the nun that she would have to Get rid of the donkey, so she Sold it to a farmer for $10. The next day the paper read:

NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10

This was too much for the bishop, so he Ordered the nun to buy back the Donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild. The next day the headlines read:

NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE

The bishop was buried the next day. The moral of the story is:

Being Concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery & even shorten your Life. So be yourself and enjoy life. Stop worrying about everyone else's ass and you'll be a lot happier and live longer!

Indons

2009-09-03T11:39:00.003+08:00

Did you guys watch the news last night? Did you remember the slot about some Indons in Jawa set our beloved Jalur Gemilang on fire as a protest to Malaysia? They accused us of robbing their culture - Tarian Pendet. Some also say that Malaysia has always been bullying Indonesia.

Hmm....these people are fierce eh. Just because of a traditional dance they are willing to go to war eh.

Such an ungrateful lots. Haven't they realized that we have been practicing tolerance all this while? Can't they see that nearly a million of their fellow countrymen are in Malaysia, robbing us of our 'jobs'? Do they know that their fellow countrymen have been contributing to our crime statistic?

Yup, some of us did do some bad things to the indons here ie maid abuse, the manohara case. But those are mostly isolated cases. In general, I believe that we have been so nice to them. Well, nice could be subjective too. But at least we never set their flag on fire right?

One thing I adore about them though - their loyalty to their country is amazing. They are willing to shed blood just because of tarian pendet (as if kita nak sangat ownership of that tarian). To them, the tarian is their pride and nobody can take that away from them. They see it as defending their sovereignty. Fuhh...respect ah

Wish we could have the same spirit here. No, I'm not saying that we are not patriotic. All I'm saying is that we sometimes are acting like a pushover. We seldom speak up. We are afraid of hurting other's feeling even though we ourselves are hurting. Dunno lah....

Malaysian Football

2009-09-01T11:18:00.002+08:00

I don't know whether I want to cry or laugh.

It is probably a proud moment for Malaysian football and it
came on Merdeka Day
- Coach K. Rajagobal on Malaysia's defeat 1-2 to Saudi Arabia

It is confirmed that our football is in a sorry state. We are proud even though we lost the game. ahahhaha....but at least the coach did have a Merdeka spirit in him.

Happy Birthday Malaysia

2009-08-31T00:58:00.004+08:00

Yesterday Malaysia celebrated her 52nd birthday. This year's merdeka was not as colorful as before eh. I wonder why?

Maybe it's the Ramadhan, or maybe H1N1, or maybe because there are too many infighting among us.....who knows....

The fact is, this year's merdeka was...how do you describe it eh .... dull? lame?..... I think something in that region lah. Pity Malaysia. The obvious sign was that the number of people flying the Jalur Gemilang has declined tremendously. Did you notice?

Anyways, let bygones be bygones. Let's us focus on next year. Hopefully, this year was just an anomaly. Till next year.

Merdeka

2009-08-27T16:24:00.003+08:00

I'll be on leave tomorrow. So I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all of you Happy Merdeka Day!!!

May Allah bless Malaysia!!!!

Al-Fatihah

2009-08-26T15:24:00.004+08:00

This morning, I was scheming through friends' status when I saw this one:

Hari ini aku baru kehilangan seorang rakan kerja merangkap mentor yang aku hormati. En Zainal Abidin A Jalil telah pulang ke rahmatullah pagi tadi... Semoga Allah melimpahkan rahmat kepadanya di bulan Ramadhan ini... Aku betul2 akan merasa kehilangannya...

At first, I didn't pay much attention. But suddenly it was all very clear to me. I knew the arwah. I was told the cause could not be verified at the moment. But it has something to do with tumor.

Although I never worked with him, but occasionally we did meet in meetings or seminar. A nice person he was. A good officer, committed to his work.

The things that I remember about him : he likes to read, he likes to talk and most importantly, he loves his country. He loves this country so much. That's why I feel so moved. We did not only lose an officer, but also a patriot.

May Allah bless his soul. Al-Fatihah.....

Kartika

2009-08-26T10:17:00.002+08:00

Aku tak paham ah. Apsal la sekarang baru nak kecoh pasal isu ni eh. Dulu masa mula2 jatuh hukuman apsal tak kecoh. Dah nak kena sebat baru la masing2 nak bersuara. Apsal lama sangat 'lag' nye tuh.

Yang bestnye tuh, tuan punya badan takde la kecoh pon. Orang lain plak yang menggelabah. Rilek la wei. Kalo Kartika tu dah sanggup, apa nak dibisingkan lagi. Proceed je la. Buat orang lain confuse je la.

Bagi aku la. Once mahkamah dah diberi kuasa untuk jatuh hukuman, jangan la kacau lagi. Kalau tak, jangan la bagi kuasa kat mahkamah tuh. Tak yah la interfere dgn proses undang2 tu.

Hukuman tu untuk kebaikan bersama. Takkan la pasal Kartika ni pompuan takleh nak kena hukum berat2. Ingat nanti kat akhirat ada beza ke laki & pompuan. Sama je seksanya. So, elok la kalo Kartika sendiri dah insaf dan sanggup kena masa kat dunia nih.

Ish...tak paham aku

Ah, Reds

2009-08-25T08:35:00.004+08:00

I woke up as usual at 4.30 am for sahur. But today's sahur was different. There was urgency. I left the bed when my handphone's alarm struck the first ring. I hurried myself in front the tv. Switched it on. Push the buttons 8,1 and 2 and hoping for a pleasant news.
.

But noooo.....it was shocking. Liverpool was trailing Aston Villa 0-2. Damn itt!!!!! They were playing at home. And Villa is not even a Big Four team!!! Sheeshhh....At min 72, Torres scored one. It seemed like a beginning of a miracle. But then, of all people, Stevie G handed Villa a penalty when he made a sloppy tackle in the penalty area. Damnnn.....Final score, Liverpool lost 1-3 to Villa. Crap....

But in a way, I was relieved, though. I was glad I didn't wake up at 3 am to watch the game from the kick off. Good decision Azrul.....

Liverpool is not doing well this season. They lost 2 out of 3 of their opening games. Not a good sign. They lost to Spurs in their first match, which to me wasn't really annoying. You know first game and all, readjusting, adapting and playing away, it kinda make sense. But to lose to lowly Villa???!!! At Anfield???!!! Unacceptable.

I blame the American owners. Thanks but no thanks you Yanks!!! Why don't ya leave EPL alone and go buy some sorry NFL team to toy with.

I'll give Liverpool till the fifth game. Hope they could make a comeback by then. If not, they could say goodbye to this season and concentrate on next season. Just hope that they wont be out of the Big Four. Come on ladsss....you can do ittttt!!!!!

Red

2009-08-24T16:20:00.002+08:00

Aku sampai opis kul 8.25 ari nih. Merah punch kad aku. Hampeh tul. Ni sebab tidur lepas subuh la nih. Tak pon sebab dah dua hari bangun lambat kan. Tetiba kena bangun awal, tu yang terbabas tuh. Takpe esok kul 7.30 aku sampai opis dah. eheheh

Ok la. Nak balik dah nih. Bulan pose nih bleh balik halh an hour awal. yahooo....best ah....

Selamat berbuka!!

Ramadhan

2009-08-22T00:07:00.002+08:00

Happy Ramadhan everyone. May this year's ramadhan will bring more blessings than before!!

Healthful Food - Tips from the elders

2009-08-21T00:14:00.002+08:00

I was hanging out with my staffs after lunch when one of them inform me that one of my stuff just found out that he has high blood pressure.

This prompted my exec officer to start a story about a tip he got from an elderly man he once knew. This man passed away sometime ago and he was 92. Nearly a century!!! So my exec officer once had a chat with him. He asked the man what were his secrets to live a healthy life. So the old man said to him: (well, of course I had to alter the wordings la)

You young people only eat two types of food. One is sweet, and the other is salty. As you know, the sweet ones will expose you to diabetic. The salty ones will lead to high blood pressure. The people of my generation, we eat 4 types of food - sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Bitter food is actually medicinal, try take any pills, it only has one taste - bitter. The sour food will act as the neutralizing agent. So when all of these tastes combine, you body will not be burden to process it as everything is balanced.

On top of that, unlike you guys who work from the table and in air conditioned room, we work using our four limbs. We sweat and bled and we used up all the energy we have for the day. Our blood flows smoothly because we basically have no fat in our bloodstream.

So you guys, start eating well. And try to get tips from our elderly. They know more than we think they do.