A MOUTHFUL OF AIR

ANOTHER BIG DAY

2011-11-24T10:40:00.000+08:00

We had Emil circumcised yesterday. A big day for him without doubt, though its timing was a unilateral decision on our part, Aily and I. Naturally he was asking for it to be deferred. Indefinitely of course.

Of late, Emil had developed chronic fear of needles and injections. There was this one time that he made a disappearing act at the clinic as Aily and the medical assistant were preparing to take his blood sample. One other incident, he had almost ruptured the doctor's eardrums as he was injected with antibiotics.

That being the case, we decided that his circumcision would be carried out under GA which means he will be fully sedated and asleep during the procedure. The mean father in me preferred him to be awake so that he will experience the pain that he has to endure to become a man. And plus, we told him that being awake will give him something to tell his children later when he's a father himself. That was my sentiment but of course reasons prevailed. So full GA it is.

By 3pm, Emil was prepped and sedated. As I was temporarily a handicap, Aily went with him in the OT for I would not be of much help with only one good hand. The actual snip was only done at about 5pm.

Since Emil was still groggy due to the sedation, we were advised that he should spend the night at the hospital for obervation. By that time, Emil was more upset about his empty stomach and stated his position rather obviously. The 'dismemberment' and the resulting pain below was not his priority, apparently. He got his meal of bubur ayam McD at about 9.30pm courtesy of his UncleSu.

On the accomodation, we had wished for a single but there was no vacant room so we had to settle down for 6-bed ward. Sigh...I leave it to you to imagine the 'ambience' of 6-bed ward. Enough said.

I stayed with him at the hospital. Good opportunity for father-son moments as we talked and ate before going to sleep. One of the more poignant question that he asked and touched a raw nerve was, "Nanti apa Emil nak cerita kat anak Emil sebab Emil tido masa bersunat?". Told him, after a brief pause, that he will have many more experience to gather and to share with his children should one day he becomes a father.

As I am writing this, we are patiently waiting for the doctor to make his round and gives the OK for discharge. We are expecting to be home not later than afternoon.

ALHAMDULILLAH

2011-08-30T08:26:00.000+08:00

Father-son moments before performing the solat sunat Aidil Fitri.

It is for moments like these that one is reminded of Allah's limitless bounty that he showers endlessly. It is wealth beyond measure and can never be repaid.

Allahuakbar Allahuakbar Allahuakbar Walillahilhamdu...

Sent by Poslaju

OF BALLS OF FIRE

2011-08-29T22:03:00.000+08:00

Uhhh...meriah, meriah!!!

Ok...this is not a politically correct entry.

The kids are enjoying themselves playing with scores of fireworks - mercun naga, mercun bateri, mercun telur, thunder clap and what nots - on the eve of Hari Raya.

We decided that they should have a little fun with our supervision of course and in due course have a memorable Hari Raya, something that they will remember when they grow up.

Sent by Poslaju

RAMADHAN'S END

2011-08-29T17:37:00.000+08:00

In slightly over 2 hours, Ramadhan will give way to Syawal. Alhamdulillah and hopefully the little amount of amal throughout the month will be accepted by Allah, Insya Allah.

For now, all system is set and go for Raya. This year we are spending the days before Raya in Seremban before leaving for Sungai Petani on the big day tomorrow.

Pray that the traffic condition tomorrow will be favourable to our journey. For now, am enjoying the little time left before Ramadhan's end.

Sent by Poslaju

NEW RAYA SHOES

2011-08-21T14:29:00.000+08:00

The visit to my regular tyre mechanic for routine balancing/aligment earlier today confirmed my long and conveniently forgotten fear, huarghhhh...the car needed new shoes!!! All four of them.

So if you see me this Eid season with only slippers to match my resplendent baju raya, do not dare to ask for you know where the allocation went to...

Sent by Poslaju

JUST CHECKING

2011-08-20T12:53:00.000+08:00

Hi.

Just checking out whether the blog still in working condition. If this posting appears, then it's still good and I shall continue. If not, I might have to consider next appropriate course of action.

Now, let's press ENTER!!!
Sent by Poslaju

DURIAN

2011-04-15T00:28:00.002+08:00

Been meaning to write for sometime about something but still have not found the right words, mainly for fear of coming up short in every conceivable way and thus not do justice to the whole thing.

Will try to do it soon.

The title hasn't got anything to do with this posting. It is there just to annoy SkruBoi.

TEST MATCH ENGLAND V SAMOA

2010-11-22T16:47:00.002+08:00

I managed to catch the match between England and Samoa last weekend.

What was supposed to have been a foregone conclusion, in favour of the English of course, became a tightly contested affair with the Samoans drawing the first blood. It was a very entertaining match with the Samoans matching the English blow for blow. The English must have been quivering at some point or another during the game as the Samoans closed in on them. Much to the Samons' credit, they did not park an imaginary bus anywhere on the field but rather they were going forwards in search of tries. Such was the fighting spirit. Alas, the final result did not do justice to the rate of the islanders' industry.

Good luck Samoa for 2011.

Pictures were taken from ESPN. More eloquent narration of the Samoans' exploits and the respect they earned and should have earned below.

The Match Report.

Samoa rugby should not feel deflated.

English captain's testimony.

Samoa should get more respect.

EAT 'EM, FISH

2010-11-20T17:18:00.000+08:00

I got a free voucher for fish spa treatment at Kenko Fish Spa during the Shape Night Run last July. I decided to utilise it today at one of its outlet in Pavilion.

Here's a picture of the fishes feasting on my legs, hahaha

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RUN FOR A RAY OF HOPE, UKM

2010-11-14T07:40:00.002+08:00

Starting line. 7km. Deo at the corner of the picture, bottom left.

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I NEED NEW SHOES

2010-11-09T16:56:00.001+08:00

Perfect reason to go shopping this weekend.

I need new shoes. This pair gave up on me already after 2 years+ of service. I have been ignoring the obvious signs of aged and abused but one can only take so much.

It certainly came a long way. Bought in Manjung and finally laid to rest in Hutan Simpan Ulu Legong, Baling after going through the jungle and wading the waters of Lata Gading.

Maybe I can utilise the adidas rebate offer. Interesting.

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@ANJUNG BATU

2010-10-30T20:23:00.000+08:00

Feasting on seafood at Anjung Batu, Melaka celebrating proclamation of Melaka Maju 2010.

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@ FINAL PIALA AGONG 2010

2010-10-26T12:14:00.002+08:00

Eager to try out my recently acquired D90, I took some time to go and watch the Agong's Cup Rugby final played at Bellamy ground, Sungai Besi with my 'assistant', Eiddin. it was his first time watching rugby and he had fun. Back home, he was busy re-enacting the tackles and the scrummages.

Back to photography - I only have with me the 50mm and 18-50mm. A severe handicap for such an ambitious venture. I decided to pick a spot and will only shoot the actions right in front of me. Below are some of the pictures. It's pathetic, I admit. Go on, pummel me. The rest can be seen at myflickr .

News by NST

Rugby: Fighting Kelantan stun Forces

2010/10/25

KELANTAN staged an amazing comeback to beat Armed Forces 18-14 in the final to be crowned the Agong's Cup champions at Padang Bellamy, Sungai Besi yesterday.

Trailing 3-14 at halftime thanks to tries from Mohd Irman Mohd and Ahmad Farhan Azizan, a demoralised Kelantan look destined for defeat at the hands of the 11-time champions but came roaring back after the break with tries from Nazreen Fitri Nasrudin and Mohd Saizul Hafiz Mohd Noor in the 55th and 63rd minutes respectively.

Kelantan manager Mohd Noor Nek Alias said his team were struggling against the Armed Forces forwards in the first half.

"We knew they (Armed Forces) had quality forwards and we struggled in the first half.

"But we managed to work around the problem and it showed in the second half," said Mohd Noor.

Kelantan last won the tournament in 2005.

Armed Forces coach Nor Hisyam Ibrahim said his team lost focus in the second half.

"Kelantan came out a different side in the second half and we lost focus which resulted in a lot of loose passes from us," said Nor Hisyam.

"We did gain some momentum in the final minutes but it was too late."

Kedah, the 2008 champions, managed to salvage some pride by beating Sabah 20-11 in the Plate final.

EMIL IS 7

2010-10-20T14:46:00.005+08:00

Emil,

You are now 7!!! Do you realise it? You are a big boy now. Dah boleh sunat. We probably do that during your year end school holiday. Do you know that now I can whack you if you miss your prayers? I think you know.

Have a go at the pictures of your birthday at my flickr.

We are still at a loss of things to get for your birthday. We bought you an Al-Quran because you've said you want one for yourself. I know you and Eiddin would be happy if we got you an Ipod Touch but that's out of the question at the moment. Some more, you already have the PSP! Uncle Joe suggested that we get you the NERF gun, like the one he bought for his sons . He said then we can get all of you together for a shoot out. We will have to think about that.

Thank you for the times you are with us. I must admit that it is not rosy all the time between you and Mama and Abah. You are growing up and we are learning too. Believe us when we say that we only want the best for you. We want you to be the best there is in whatever that you do. Sure you do get a lot of scolding but that is part of the process, hehehe...

Now that you are 7, you must act like one. A 7 year old boy do not quarrel with his little brother over toys or the choice of tv channels. A 7 year old should sleep in his own room on his own. A 7 year old should be more independent and not be clingy to his parents anymore.

You should now be able to think of what's good and what's not. You have to cease shouting at Eiddin and stop throwing tantrums if things do not go as you wish.

Please however to continue to be the good boy that you are. A little tweak here and there will make you even better. Don't slack on your studies though all seems easy for you now. It will get harder, believe me.

One more thing, soon I will have to take you out on a serious exercise because it does not escape our attention that your waistline has been increasing by the day.

That's all for now. I will write to you again soon. Meanwhile, please remember that Abah and Mama love you very much. Happy 7th Birthday and have fun for the coming year.

Until later.

Love, hugs and kisses,

Abah & Mama

MIZUNO WAVE RUN 2010-RACE REPORT

2010-10-17T13:13:00.002+08:00

Finished the run in about 1 hour 30 minutes. The timing could have been worse. The route was a series of ascent and descent. The hill on the final km was a real killer. Even with only 1 km to go, I succumbed to the challenge and was only able to walk before picking up speed on the final 500m.

It was a good outing with great company of the usual suspect, Azizul and fellow KPTC members.

Will be back next year to attack the hills again.

Photos at myflickr

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MIZUNO WAVE RUN 2010, UPM

2010-10-17T07:06:00.000+08:00

At the starting point. Other MIs yet to be sighted.

All the best.

Majulah sukan untuk negara,hahaha

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HAPPY IS...

2010-10-03T21:57:00.001+08:00

...listening to the radio.

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THE SUN REPORTS OLYMPIC DAY RUN 2010

2010-09-30T11:37:00.001+08:00

THE SUN, THURSDAY 30/10/2010

Record number of participants in Olympic Day Run

IT WAS a fun family day out for many participants of the annual Olympic Day Run at Dataran Merdeka on Sunday.

Jointly organised by McDonald’s Malaysia and the Olympic Council of Malaysia, this year’s run had a record 7,091 participants in 14 categories.

From as early as 7.30am, the first group who went the full distance of 7km were flagged off. There were also 5km and 3km categories for senior citizens and primary school children respectively.

A special category for the disabled was introduced for the first time this year and was warmly received, with more than 200 runners and wheelchair-bound people taking part.

Leading the pack in the men’s and women’s open categories were former national athlete Muniandy Ramadass and national athlete Yuan Yu Fang.

Muniandy was the first overall runner to cross the finish line, clocking a time of 24 minutes 44 seconds.

"This year I participated in 15 runs and emerged champion 10 times," he said.

Muniandy, 32, admitted to a preference for 10km and 21km marathons, having trained for long-distance runs from an early age.

Muniandy and Yuan also won their respective categories at the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009.

Women’s veteran champion Susan Khoo said running and training had always been an integral part of her family’s life.

The hard work paid off when her daughter Kim Khoo took third place in the women’s junior category.

"Running is a good way for us to keep fit and have fun together," said the 50-year-old Susan, who completed 10 runs this year.

Khoo’s high spirits were shared by men’s veteran champion Ridzwan Sulaiman who has taken part in the Olympic Day Run every year.

"I used to run the full and half marathons, but now I have to scale back and run shorter distances," he said.

"I often took my children out to the park in the evenings, simply to exercise or go jogging," Ridzwan said.

Proving that the young also have what it takes to compete, women’s junior champion Sawin Kaurm, 14, said she had participated in marathons from the time she was in Standard 4 and that this was her third Olympic Day run.

"This is the second time I emerged champion," said a jubilant Sawin, who is also a school athlete, having represented the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

OLYMPIC DAY RUN 2010 REPORT

2010-09-29T13:37:00.000+08:00

Truth is, this was one race that I least prepared for given the 1 and half month hibernation during fasting month and the open house. On top of the unpreparedness, I also carried the after effects of endless gorging of lemang, rendang, ketupat, nasi dagang and samprits.

The runners were let off at exactly 7.30 am. The route was the Bukit Tunku route which was famous for its undulating terrain. I made it my goal that day that I will not bow down to the challenge of Bukit Tunku, hahaha...and I made it. Went in and out of Bukit Tunku non-stop. But I did stop after 40 minute mark - right in front of the Parliament. I was listening to my body - somebody said failure to listen to your body will bring you grave consequences, hahaha...From there onwards, it was run-walk-run-walk-run until the finishing line.

I made it slightly under the 1 hour mark. 59 minutes to exact, hahaha...Not too proud of the time, but proud nevertheless as it was another race finished.

Below are some pictures.

OLYMPIC DAY RUNNING

2010-09-26T07:08:00.000+08:00

Am running the Ronald today. At the starting line here in front of the iconic Sultan Abdul Samad building.

Flag off will be at 7.30. A good half an hour from now.

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OLYMPIC DAY RUN 2010

2010-09-22T15:16:00.000+08:00

I have registered myself for another running event this coming Sunday at Dataran Merdeka. Have to cover a distance of 7 km. Hopefully, this run will jumpstart the system that had been lying dormant for the past 1 and a half month.

Let's start working.

SEMBAHYANG RAYA

2010-09-10T09:05:00.001+08:00

Salam Aidil Fitri.

We have just finished solat sunat Aidil Fitri, alhamdulillah. Pray that life will be blessed for our family and for the ummah. Pray that it will be a beautiful Eid. And pray that we shall be chosen to grace the next Ramadhan.

Insya Allah.

Selamat Hari Raya & Maaf Zahir Batin. Or to keep up with time, SHRMZB.

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Salams Syawal Yengkoz 2010 Daripada Presiden Mentula Ingens Class of 94

2010-09-08T13:05:00.001+08:00

Perutusan Hari Raya daripada Presiden Mentula Ingens, Sdr Syed Khalid Al Juned. Watch out for the appearance of the new Deputy Headboy.

Full text below:

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah hiwabarakatuh.

Alhamdulillah. Bersyukur kita ke hadrat Alllah SWT kerana dengan keizinanNya jua maka pada hari ini dapat kita bersama-sama menyambut Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. Batch Yengkoz kini sudah 16 tahun lebih setelah keluar koleq.

Syawal adalah satu mekanisme yang baik untuk kita kembali mengeratkan silaturrahim.

Rasulullah SAW ada bersabda yang maksudnya: "sesiapa yang beriman dengan Allah dan hari kiamat maka janganlah dia menyakiti tetangganya. Dan sesiapa yang beriman dengan Allah dan hari kiamat, hendaklah dia memuliakan tetamunya..."

Kita seharusnya menggunakan peluang ini untuk mengunjungi Yengkoz 2, saudara-mara, handai dan taulan agar mereka mengenali antara satu dengan lain yang sekaligus akan mengeratkan lagi ikatan silatulrahim.

Syawal adalah tanda kemenangan dan kejayaan melawan hawa nafsu, godaan dunia, sikap membazir dan boros.

Tidak merugikan jika kita bersederhana dalam menyambut hari yang mulia ini. Perabut tidak semestinya diganti dengan yang baru manakala permaidani tidak perlu ditukar dengan rekaan terkini.

Jagalah pemakanan kita supaya apa yang dimakan tidak memudaratkan kita kelak. Mungkin amalan berpuasa enam patut dipertimbangkan.

Kepada mereka yang melakukan perjalanan di Idul Fitri ini, samada untuk pulang ke kampung halaman mahupun menziarahi sanak-saudara dan handai taulan, berhati-hatilah di jalan raya. Adalah lebih baik kita tiba lewat sedikit daripada terbabit dalam kemalangan semasa dalam perjalanan.

Assalamualaikum. Selamat Hari Raya.

TIDO KE?

2010-09-02T14:10:00.000+08:00

Dah setengah bulan dah tak update ni. Kena cari bahan untuk update ni. Bahaya, nanti tak pasal kena strike out dengan celebrity blogger KNizam. Itu hari dah kena sekali - jadi tak boleh biarkan pisang berbuah dua kali.

KNO sibuk memantau bom kat Pakistan. Sebab tu dia tak perasan blog ni dah mula nak bersawang. Tapi ada kempeitai jepun yang dok tolong perati dan bagitau dia. Itu yang lagi bahaya.

Hahahaha...aku dah update!!!

RAMADHAN SCENE

2010-08-19T10:52:00.001+08:00

This picture gives me a good laugh today. Reminds me of the time long gone. The time when there were less worries and the days were long. The time when a sip of ice cold syrup at buka puasa was heavenly. And the XL-size pride on Hari Raya knowing that 30 days of fasting didn't kill you.

Pic was taken from The Malay Mail.

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO START!!!

2010-08-16T09:50:00.000+08:00

It's never too late to start. In fact, it's never too late for anything. Here's a motivating article I grabbed from The Malaysian Insider . Pay most attention to the last 2 paragraphs.

Getting fit in midlife, better late than never

By Dorene Internicola

It is never too late to exercise and swimming is a great way to get fit. Exercising in your 40’s, 50’s and 60’s is like saving for your retirement, experts say.

Starting early is money in the bank, but even late bloomers can reap astonishing benefits.

“The game isn’t over, even if you haven’t been active,” said Dr Angela Smith, past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. “Aerobic fitness, bone health, agility, you may be able to catch up. It’s remarkable to see the things people can actually do.”

Smith, a physician at Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, said studies have shown that even octogenarians can double their strength with weight training.

“There’s good evidence that among people who have arthritis, the stronger have less pain, and that getting fit decreases the chance of having cancer,” she said.

But if you’re a former high school athlete who became sedentary as your temples grayed, don’t expect your history to save you.

“Some of the benefits you built up aren’t going to maintain themselves if you become a couch potato,” Smith said. “That wonderful bone strength you built in your 20’s will melt away a lot faster if you don’t stay active.”

Smith said logic dictates that 40-, 50- and 60-year olds need to pay attention to all components of fitness.

“Make certain to do flexibility, strength and aerobic training, even if you have to decrease the amount of impact. A jumping sport may be difficult. But many of the non-sport activities, swimming, weight training, yoga, people can do just fine in 40’s, 50’s, 60’s.”

Andrea Metcalf, a fitness expert and personal trainer for over 20 years, recommends bite-sized portions for the late beginners.

“People who have never exercised don’t have a good sense of body awareness or body movement, so we need to focus on simple patterns, on strengthening those stabilising muscles,” said Metcalf, whose forthcoming DVD, Keeping Fit: Strength, Cardio, Pilates, targets the midlife exerciser.

“We know that 10-minute segments will have a cardiovascular effect. So if you do a couple, in the next week you can bring that up,” she said.

Metcalf agrees it’s never too late to start. “You’ll feel the benefits within the first two weeks of doing any new programme. In six weeks you’ll see body changes. If you touch your arm it’s going to feel stronger.”

Dr. Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, of the University of Illinois and the leader of the Active Aging Blueprint, a umbrella group which develops strategies to help people 50 and older increase physical activity.

He thinks people should revisit their routines just as they do their retirement investments.

“The 25-year-old kid that goes for a run without a warm-up will need to adjust that middle age, when he’s more prone to injuries,” Chodzko-Zajko said. “The choice of most 40-year olds is not going to be same as most 60-year olds.”

He said studies in nursing homes have shown that strength-training residents increase their mobility. Some even get out of wheelchairs. “Even modest improvement is associated with huge differences in the quality of life.”

Chodzko-Zajko urges people to find the activity that makes sense to them. “Even walking the dog or spending time outside. Adopt active choices. Be active in your own way.”

Metcalf says people who live to be 100 all have a fitness component.

“Exercise is the fountain of youth. If you want to live to 100 you have to exercise,” she explained.

So what’s the best workout?

“The one you’ll do,” she said. “All the rest is just marketing.” – Reuters

SALAM RAMADHAN-1st DAY CASUALTY

2010-08-11T18:57:00.000+08:00

Salam Ramadhan to all. There still fews minutes to go before buka puasa for the year's Ramadhan.

Emil already collapsed of exhaustion, hahaha...but he's steadfast for now.

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TEAM ORDERS

2010-07-27T13:47:00.000+08:00

Caution: I am not an F1 fan.

Alonso won on that day. But not a 'real win'. Massa had to let him pass and in the process deprived the fans of a potentially nail-biting duel. A duel was not good for the team as anything can happen. A possible 1-2 could end up with nothing at all. And the team was fined for that. Many people are not happy including this one.

This however, is not unique to F1. Yengkoz had our own team order last year, happened during the MCOBA Futsal Tournament. As we progressed, we suddenly we found out that 2 of the 3 teams that we sent to the competition had to face each other in the loser's pool semi-finals (or was it quarter finals?).

Being the lesser team of the 2, a team order was issued against my team. We were to lose so the other team can advance safely and compete for a podium finish !!! Damnnn.

And lose we did. It wasn't easy as we had to act serious and curb the suspicion of us throwing away our game. The other team progressed but I can't remember the exact outcome of the tournament.

Anyway, MCOBA Futsal 2010 will be held this Saturday. We are sending 2 teams this year to stand for our honour and to fight with valour, hahahaha...good luck. Am not playing this year. I am still reeling from the aftermath of the team order...

NATIONALS, 2nd DAY

2010-07-24T14:30:00.003+08:00

The tournament resumed with the first game played at 10 am. We were up against the tournament favourite, SMS Machang. We had no choice but to win.

Fate would not have it as we lost 1-2, with their winning goal came through as a result of brief lapse in the defence department. SMS Machang grabbed the slot in the fight for the championship. What's left for us then was to fight for a slot in the game for the 3rd/4th qualification. But in order to do that, we needed to only draw against STAR.

Long story short, we won against STAR (with the bragging rights, of course, hahaha) and got a shot at finishing the tournament in 3rd place. We were due to battle it out against SMS Selangor.

The game was played at 5 pm. All the Bapak Iteks pooled our meagre resources in the audio department and cheered for the team from the first whistle. The stadium's roof almost came down when the boys went 1 up in the 3rd minute. Much to our amusement, the TKC girls and SERATAS chipped in to cheer for the boys too (no wonder STAR had so much bone to pick with us. They never get the girls).
But SMS Selangor replied with 3 goals, all from penalty corner set pieces. Despite the vigourous cheering and all the opportunities, we failed to sound the board. Full time, MCKK 1, SMSS 3 and we are placed 4th in the tournament.

In my eyes, the boys fought gallantly throughout the tournament. They could have done better no doubt but it would not be fair to schools who were better and more prepared than us. As Mr. Anand said, we are already knocking on the doors of victory, but we have to keep knocking until the doors are open.

Well done boys - winning and losing is part of the game. The difference is in how you deal with them and come out as better person.

*****

Collectively, we had decided that the MigDuck Project is now officially over and this was the last tournament that shall witness our heavy involvement. We are moving on. But some of us will still be around to see through some things that we started like the Annual Camping and the MigDuck Cup.

On personal level, I have tendered my 'resignation' from the team. I no longer have the space and time to be a part of this project and hence I don't intend to be a mere passenger (well, I haven't been contributing much anyway, hahaha) in whatever that will come after this and take credit for things I don't actually do.

But you can always count on my support. After all, it was me and my big mouth that got us in this. If it's any consolation, I have learnt my lesson and have learnt them well, hahaha...

To all Bapak Iteks, thank you, thank you and thank you again.

To MigDuckies, keep on knocking, rain or shine.

-what is MigDuck without the drama-

Hahaha, so true, so true...

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NATIONALS, 1st DAY

2010-07-22T16:40:00.000+08:00

1st day report: 3 games - 1 win v. SDAR; 2 draws v. SHAH Pekan & SAS.

The boys through to the 2nd round and live to fight another day. They were good in the first game but things went downhill a bit in the games that we drew. In all honesty, we were riding a lot on our luck in the last 'do or die' game against SAS. SAS blew at least 3 point blank chances which could have been easily converted and send us packing. We prevailed in the end.

But, tomorrow's another story.

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ON THE ROAD

2010-07-22T09:23:00.000+08:00

I will be on the road today. To Ipoh.

Take a couple of days off from work and realities and go watch kids of MigDuck battling it out at the Nationals, and spend some boys' time with the usual suspects along the way. At the moment, am at KL Sentral waiting for Radin to pick me up.

In retrospect, we are all always on the road. Journey is a constant thing in life. The end of one travel is always the beginning of another.

To the kids of MigDuck, good luck in the Nationals. Hope you guys will get through the tournament as victors.

Letks just have some fun.

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A PARENT'S LOVE

2010-07-21T17:54:00.001+08:00

Dad moved to tears as son escapes gallows

July 21, 2010KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — A man broke down in the High Court here today when his son was acquitted and discharged on a drug trafficking charge, which carried the mandatory death sentence, and for drug possession two years ago.

Adam Tong could not control his emotions upon hearing judge Datuk Ghazali Cha order his son, Sadiq Saiful Adam Tong, to be acquitted and released of the charges.

Tong’s two other children were seen pacifying their father who was sobbing uncontrollably.

Unemployed Sadiq Saiful, 29, was charged with trafficking in 27.6g of heroin and possessing 0.96g of nimetazepam at No 3-14-4, Pantai Hill Park, Phase 2, Jalan Pantai Dalam here on May 16, 2008.

In his judgment, Ghazali Cha said that the defence had succeeded in raising reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.

He said there were also contradictions on whether Sadiq Saiful was alone or with a girlfriend on the day of the incident, although this had been denied by the woman.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Mukhzany Fariz Mohd Mokhtar prosecuted while Sadiq Saiful was represented by lawyer Gooi Soon Seng, who was assisted by lawyers S. Selvi and Mak Kah Keong. — Bernama

***

Parents' love knows no bounds.

Let us all hope that we would never cause our parents to shed their precious tears for us for all the wrong reasons. And hopefully, when the time comes, our little charges will return the favour to us too, Insya Allah.

FOCUS. IN BLACK

2010-07-18T14:02:00.000+08:00

Focus. In black. Even prettier. Even more beautiful.

Autocar, July '10 describes it as winner, the most balanced C-segment car one can buy and a worthy alternative to the usual Japanese sedans. Good words indeed. Plus, it's a diesel - a nice option in view of the recent and upcoming fuel hikes.

Can' afford it at the moment though, sadly :)

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DARK SKIES

2010-07-15T00:11:00.001+08:00

Dark skies over KL earlier today. Am sure many KLites were not too glad with the increasing darkness as its end result usually mean later arrival to their homes. Lucky I don't work in KL. Taken from the fourth floor of Suria KLCC.

In case anybody's asking, I was on an official duty. It so happened that I brought my camera along.

More pics here.

WATCH THE STANCE

2010-07-12T12:15:00.005+08:00

Emil went for his karate grading on Sunday, his third since he started learning the martial arts back in December 2008. The grading was decentralised unlike the previous two, so it was held at the dojo, karateworks at Bandar Seri Putra.

Long story short, he passed and moved from green to blue. The examiners pointed out areas that he needs to work on further, especially on the weak stances.

I always believe that learning martial arts is a good thing. More often than not, most people fear that by learning martial arts, we are teaching our kids the violent ways. The truth is, there is more to karate, or any other martial arts for that matter, than kicks and punches. Most importantly, it teaches the kids about restrain. And also about being humble.

More pics here. More about the karate school - karateworks.

ON A SATURDAY MORNING

2010-07-10T10:48:00.001+08:00

Here's something we don't do very often,hahaha...having coffee early on a Saturday morning right smack in the middle of the KUALA LUMPUR.

It's nice - private time,minus the kids. Let's do this more frequent.

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BUSY JULY

2010-07-01T22:17:00.004+08:00

It's going to be a busy month by my standard. Have registered myself for 2 running events. One is slated in the middle of the month and another will be a night run on the last day of the month. The Siemens Run, to be held on the 18th will get me running on the streets of Kuala Lumpur. It shall be my first time pounding the streets of KL in running mode, after traversing them since the last 13 years either on foot in walking mode or on motorised wheels, 2 and 4. I shall be receiving my race kit via mail some time next week.

The tagline for the race is "What are you running for?" Well, I haven't decided.

The next race is the Shape & Men's Health Night Run in Putrajaya. I will be running alongside Jures, Chamat and Mior who will be flying from Sydney for the event (Mior's on holiday actually). Am looking forward to the run and the lepak session after the race. Also looking forward to the RM300 worth of goods to be given by the sponsors to all runners upon completing the run. No medal for sure as the medals will be given only to the top 75 runners.

Now, let's get started on the training!!!

NEW LOOK

2010-07-01T11:51:00.001+08:00

Am bored looking at the same thing day in and day out. That shall explain the trickling of the postings of late. Decided to give it a new look.

WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE???

2010-06-25T11:28:00.000+08:00

This guy was born with a deformed leg which later had to be amputated, left by his mother, stopped schooling at 14 - but still managed to find the good in life.

What is your excuse again?

Pic and story at NST. The guy blogs here.

SWINGING

2010-06-21T13:02:00.003+08:00

P1000705
Originally uploaded by e_dua_tujuh

This was taken on Father's Day. Took the boys out to let off some steam at the neighbourhood playground. I carried my camera along as playground is always a good place to record the kids in their full earnestness.

Managed to snap a handful but I took a particular liking to this one. Click for bigger picture.

Swing Eiddin, swing.

FOCUS TDCi IN NST'S CBT

2010-06-06T11:13:00.000+08:00

The object of my current desire, the TDCi is being reviewed in the CBT pull-out of NST today.

The writer heaped praises on the car notably on the powerful diesel engine, its equipment level, the torque and the traction. The writer did not touch on the handling though.

On the downside, the writer highlighted the sluggish downshifting (whatever that means) and the fact that the Focus and all its variants will be made obsolete within 2 years.

The writer however gave a more believable fuel consumption estimate - 55 litre for 500-600 km - compared to some reports on the web which boasted that the car can go 800 km with 55 litres pumped in its belly.

Sadly, whatever it is that the car has to offer, at RM128,888 OTR w/o insurance, the TDCi remains well beyond my reach.

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SP Setia ECO

2010-06-05T11:03:00.000+08:00

10k. Tapau'ed.1 hour 9 minutes.

I will write later, most probably.

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FROM SP Setia

2010-06-05T06:50:00.000+08:00

Am at the starting line near KNO's house at Setia Alam.My second stab at 10k.

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THE BIRTHDAY DAY

2010-05-23T23:07:00.001+08:00

The birthday bath

The Wait

The celebration

The cake

VIPs of the day

Happy Birthday. Now, go for the stars, both of you!!!

MigDuck KK Trip

2010-05-23T10:35:00.003+08:00

(THE SECOND UPDATE. WAS ALSO SUPPOSED TO BE UP YESTERDAY.)

We have arrived. 1 hour later than planned.

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__________________________________

I was live-blogging and mobile-uploading my FB simultaneuosly yesterday, all for the benefit of other Bapak Iteks who could not make the trip this time. The mobile uploads were ok but I cannot get through my blog. I then decided to stop putting in entries and stick to FB.

On to the main agenda. The trip was for us to oversee the MigDucks playing a friendly against the Old Boys Team as part of the preparation for the upcoming Nationals. On personal level, this would be my first appearance after an absence of slightly over a year from 'actual scenes of the action'. An absence which had been much derided by the other Bapa Iteks. (If it's any consolation, it felt good to be back, hahaha).

For analysis of the friendly match according to Ruff, below (in red) :

The team becomes more "junior" as we go along. There's only 7 F4s and 2 F3s in the team now and 6 F1s and F2s.

Mr Thaman allowed more and more F1/F2 to play especially in friendly series, which means we need more friendly series if they were to reach the potential by the time they are F3s.

Quite scary for national tournament this year a...s our team might be one of the most junior (orang lain semua F4), but it's a good investment for the future :-)

MCOBA won 5 - 3. The boys slept the first quarter and allowed 2 goals; struggling to find the right rhythm.

Then they woke up ha ha, equalised at 2-2 until end of 2nd quarter. In 3rd quarter it became 3-2, then 3-3.

MCOBA scored 2 more goals in the last quarter.

Personally, I think the boys played well. I was quite surprised to notice that they have grown well, physique's wise, and they seem to know what they were doing on the field. It was really a far cry from the earlier days when "they could not hit a ball to even save their lives" comments would be not be really off the mark.

But I agreed that they need to come into the game running, not walking around half-awake. In defence of the Duckies though, that must have been the after effect of the plates of nasi goreng ayam and nasi goreng ayam madu saud that we 'threw' in their direction straight into their bellies just before the game. So remember, no nasi for Ipoh!!!

Keep it up guys. We might be in for something good this time around.

P.S. - Yengkoz had passed a resolution to sponsor a banner for the National Tournament in Ipoh. Now we only need to agree on the design.

MigDuck KK Trip

2010-05-23T10:32:00.002+08:00

(THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UP YESTERDAY. BUT I SCREWED UP WITH THE SETTING.)

Live from the highway.

Ezam picked me up. But only after making an unscheduled detour to Bangi.

Am now waiting for Ruff@Joe's Place.

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DON'T TELL KNO

2010-05-17T16:29:00.024+08:00

Apple's iPhone replaces Blackberry for some bankers

SINGAPORE, May 17 - British bank Standard Chartered is replacing the Blackberry, currently its standard corporate communication device, with the iPhone, a move that could eventually result in thousands of its bankers switching to the Apple device for business communication on the go.

Read more at The Malaysian Insider.

Shhh...keep this between us Biebers. Do not let this piece of news anywhere near the iPhoneista...hahaha...

EKIDEN RUN 2010 - POST RACE REPORT

2010-05-16T23:21:00.003+08:00

The post race report.

Let's begin with things before the race. Ajak, Hairul, Din and myself went together in anticipation of the huge crowd. However, we arrived slightly off the schedule, and as a result, we were scrambling for the registration, putting up our numbers and boarding the transit buses. Toy who arrived earlier was not helping either with his panic SMS - tayar bas dah nak bergolek yeop!!! - :)

We split up then and were taken to our respective checkpoints in separate buses. We were incommunicado then. The guys must be taking this race very seriously as nobody was picking up the phone. By then, I can only hope for the best.

Being the fourth runner, I was taken to the third checkpoint situated near the junction before the bridge in front of the MOF building. I must have waited for slightly less than 1 hour before Toy emerged with his trademark strong run (only the belly is quite showing these days, hahaha) with the black tasuki (sash). After exchanging the sash, I continued the run started by Ajak and Din. I started off quite fast but quickly came to my senses as I realised that I will not be able to maintain that pace for the whole stretch. I then slowed down to a more comfortable pace and proceeded tp complete my share of the 15km route.

From the checkpoint, I ran on to the bridge, took right in front of the MOF, took a left at the junction beside KPDNKK and then proceeded to fourth checkpoint near the Wisma Putra junction.

Nearing the checkpoint, I picked up a bit before passing the sash over to Hairul. Hairul sped off straightaway and in no time, he was out of sight. I then walked to the finishing line in front of the Palace of Justice. It was quite sometime before I rejoined the team and took the above picture before adjourning to Coffee Village.

We finished 91st out of 200-odd teams competing in the open category. Well, not bad. Not bad at all, hahaha.

It was fun and healthy way to get together. We enjoyed it very much and we have medals and certificates to show for it.

I have little qualms about the organisation of the event. But I feel the pre-race registration could be improved. But since we arrived a bit late, we can't complain much, can we? All in all, it was a good event.

Update 17 May 2010 - I forgot. There is another complaint actually, voiced out by Hairul and shared by me. There was no distance marker at the race. It would be very helpful if the organiser put up the markers.

EKIDEN RUN 2010-HAIRUL'S P.O.V

2010-05-16T10:06:00.001+08:00

The finishing line from Hairul's point of view :)

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EKIDEN RUN 2010-AT THE FINISHING LINE

2010-05-16T09:55:00.003+08:00

At the finishing line. Am not sure whether Hairul is already here.

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EKIDEN RUN 2010-LIVE FROM PUTRAJAYA

2010-05-16T08:47:00.001+08:00

Live from Putrajaya.

Am now at the 3rd checkpoint. Ajak is the first runner, to be followed by Din, Toy, myself and lastly Hairul.

Did not get to take the pre-race team photo as we arrived just in time this morning. Maybe can have one after the run.

All the best!!!

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DAH TERTIDUR PUN

2010-05-14T22:20:00.001+08:00

Itulah...abah dah cakap tadi. Jangan ikut. Duduk rumah dengan abang, temankan mama.

Sekarang dah sampai tertidur pun. Ni bagi kerja kat abah la ni. Abah la yang nak kena angkat ni.

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COLLECTING RACE KIT

2010-05-14T11:28:00.000+08:00

2 days to the run.

Am at the International Youth Centre to collect the race kit. Lucky to come early and get it done with. From the look of it, I expect it to be a messy affair and can be worse if teams come in droves to collect the kit given the reportedly 1000 teams had confirmed to participate.

Thanks to Hooha Asia,there is a separate counter for those who registered online.

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NORTHERN FOOD

2010-05-13T13:29:00.004+08:00

I don't write about food that much. Just to break the stereotype usually and conveniently attached to fat people, I guess. When skinny people write about food, that's because they enjoy their food - they are called connoiseurs. When fat people write about food, they'd say that's all they can think about. Hey, we fat people think about other things too, just so you know.

Jalan-jalan cari makan is KNizam's area, fleshed out in his makanmalaya blog, which, contrary to the name, had gone international recently as the contents these days include makan-makan Pakistan as well.

However, a recent NST's write up on some of the good food up North caught my attention today and I think worthy to be rehashed here. The write up was very informative, chronicling some of the places of good food (according to the writer) in Kedah. Most of the places are from Alor Setar and further up.

Out of the 10 places mentioned in the article, I have been only to Laksa Teluk Kechai. I however found that the laksa to watery to my liking and have tasted better at home. I think my mother makes better laksa. I have probably tasted Mee Abu at Mpro's house or with Pak Tuan Syed but cannot say for sure.

You can read more here TOP PICKS: Northern Delicacies. But I think the name is quite misleading. The foods in the article are not necessarily northern food. What is northern food anyway? More apt, I'd say - 'Good Food Up North' or something like that.

Mee Bandung Tulang@Old Village Restaurant and Lodgings,

Lot 4261, Kampung Sakan, Jalan Datuk Kumbar - NST Pic

KNO, jom JJCM, ada berani???

EKIDEN RUN 2010

2010-05-12T15:51:00.001+08:00

I will be running again this Saturday, 16/5. It will be held in Putrajaya, in front of the beautiful Palace of Justice.

This time however, the distance is shorter. It's a 15 km relay event. The length will be divided between 5 runners, which means each will run 3 km. I was made to understand that the run was inspired by the Japanese ancient courier tradition. Each team team will be given a sash or tasuki in place of a baton, to be exchanged between runners in the designated Exchange Zone.

I will be joined by Ajak, Toy, Hairul and Din for the run. We haven't decided on the order of runners just yet. But so far the understanding is that the fittest of the 5, either Ajak or Hairul, will have to be the anchor.

The preparation? Well, I have been running every other day since last Friday averaging 6,7 km on the treadmill and on the track on Sunday morning. Tried to spice the training with intervals and normal endurance. Should be ok, I hope.

Below's the route for the run.

I will try to write a lengthy post race report.

TONY STARK'S THE MAN

2010-05-10T13:08:00.001+08:00

Tony Stark's the man.

He's funny, witty, speaks French, a genius, wealthy beyond belief (he sold weapons for a living), incredibly fit and he has an impressive collection of Audi cars. He adds another car during the meeting, it was an R8, if I am not mistaken. The man is also generous - he gave one of his expensive watches in exchange for a box of strawberries. And he's confident enough to wear impeccably tailored suits with bell bottom pants.

Tony Stark managed to keep both Aily and I entertained for the two-hour appointment. He took us to a Senate hearing in the D.C., his birthday party, Monaco Grand Prix (where he met Whiplash for the first time) and a donut eatery. He tried to include a trip to Venice but that party pooper secretary of his struck it down.

However, his alter ego was not impressive enough. The fights fell short of our high expectation and Whiplash did not count much for an opponent or arch-enemy, if you may. What arch enemy if one gets knocked out in one fight (the earlier encounter shoould not count as Tony was caught unprepared!!!). The 'unwanted sidekick', the US Army Lt. Colonel, was a nuisance. Batman learnt well to limit Robin for just one outing, hahaha. Ironman should be wise enough to kick him out of our next meeting. And Ironman is more than adequate to take on Whiplash or any other villain for that matter, alone.

We would like to see you again, Tony.

APPOINTMENT WITH TONY STARK

2010-05-08T11:01:00.000+08:00

Am taking Aily to see Tony Stark as her Mother's Day treat at GSC Gardens. Please do not disturb us for the next couple of hours.

Let's see whether Tony's worth it.

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OF ENVY & JEALOUSY

2010-05-06T23:20:00.001+08:00

This boy saw his brother being featured in the blog and he wanted in too.

One more thing, of course the father being trigger happy with live blogging, hahaha...

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LIFE OF A STANDARD ONE

2010-05-06T22:56:00.001+08:00

It's not easy being a Standard One student these days. There are tonnes of homework to be completed and there is never enough time.

Life's easier during my time. There wasn't much homework to be done and there was always spare time for games and tv.

Wonder whether this the right method to learn. Growing up should be fun. Hopefully, Emil's having fun too.

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WHY I BB

2010-05-06T13:48:00.000+08:00

For posterity, I will just put few extra lines on the infection.

It came as no surprise given the constant pressure from members of the CluBB, led by the self-crowned President (who's by the way is still with the older Bold version, hahaha). Though I was completely at peace with the (t)rusty Samsung and was completely at ease with Windows Mobile platform, I was made to feel like an impotent by the BB'ers (pronounced Biebers). The last straw was the Yengkoz Bowling at Alamanda on the 1st of May where everyone whipped out BBs like nobody's business. The owner of the bowling alley must have thought that it was a RIM-sponsored event (he would have realised that it was not if he joined the prize giving ceremony as La'ba the Champion was presented with Crown Lubricants). Yes, it was pure peer pressure and keeping up with the Jo(e)neses!!! (And of course, the Aily factor, hehehe).

It was hard parting with the Samsung. I was with it for approximately 2 years and truth be told, I was quite attached to it. The Windows Mobile platform was very friendly and easy to use. But, I am now slowly falling in love with my BB and with all it has to offer. The best has got to be the BB Messenger. The covenience of e-mails, etc. I can also do live blogging (you must be proud!!!). I downloaded a whole book and a comic book last night. Like Apple, there are many Apps on offer but before I invite anger of the iPhoneista, let me concede that Apple is ahead in this.

Now, can I get something from RIM for this testimony?

I AM IN DA CLUBB

2010-05-05T17:39:00.003+08:00

knizam - am so live blogging after this,hahaha...

Screwboy - the view from my BB.Cannot think of any other way to announce that I have been infected!!!

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THE STAR REVIEWING THE TDCi

2010-04-28T09:02:00.000+08:00

The STAR on Sunday, 25th April 2010 wrote a review of the car, focusing on the diesel engine.

Bits and pieces - "..unmistakable diesel idling clatter albeit a tad quieter than those in 4X4 pick-up trucks..the 2.0-litre Duratorq’s whips out a maximum torque of 320Nm at 2,000 rpm, more than enough for a sporty drive...drive that can get your adrenaline pumping."

Read more On a diesel groove by Hong Boon How.

Keep on dreaming, dreaming, dreaming...

DON'T BE SAD

2010-04-27T00:45:00.000+08:00

Son,

Hold up your chin. Don't be sad for too long. Do not despair. It's just not meant to be, I suppose. Take it in your stride. Losing and winning is part of the game. You are just a bit unlucky this time around.

I know you feel dejected. I know you feel robbed of the 2 points that should have been rightly awarded to you. Yes, that boy did hit your mouth and your ear.You deserved that 2 points without doubt. But you can't go against the referee, can you? That's the spirit of the game. The two hits must've escaped his eyes. I saw both, but I can't interfere. It was your fight.

Such is life. You can't win all the time. You have to remember that to reach that stage, you've sent 2 of your opponents home early and most probably heartbroken too.

This was only your first tournament. You'll get better, I am sure. If it's any consolation, I just want to let you know that you fought well in the first draw.

Emil,

There will be more 'fights' coming your way, and they are not necessarily karate fights. Learn from all your mistakes today and improve on them. Losing can be a good thing if we learn and use it to our advantage. Practice harder. And you have got to think too.

You will do good, Insya Allah.

But when you do, remember NEVER to lose your head.

Love,

ABAH

'ALL EYES ON BUDAK KOLEQ' - ARE THEY STILL?

2010-04-26T11:36:00.000+08:00

The VC of USM wrote a piece on Koleq in his weekly column in yesterday's NST. It was written in conjunction with Sultan Azlan Shah bestowing the Datukship to Mr. N.J. Ryan, last of the MCKK' s Mat Salleh headmasters who served the Koleq in the 1960s. The writer, Prof. Abdul Razak is an old boy himself.

As with most pieces written about MCKK, the article was an overflow of romanticism and nostalgia. Prof. Razak recapitulates the good old days of MCKK when sports and studies went together extremely well. Those days, MCKK was feared on the sporting fields, rugby especially (made important during Ryan's time) and respected for the high standard of education. The fear and respect also went international "...as distant as Sri Lanka..." and Thailand. Those were the times when MCKK spelt quality, excellence and "...superb teamwork, dedication and courage".

But Prof. Razak is not a hopeless romantic as he put it bluntly that "... many of these qualities are missing today as our education seems to mirror another game -- national soccer."

The sad thing is that not many Budak Koleq out there who're willing to be as blunt. Sadder still, many are under this grand illusion that their MCKK is still the best there is. The saddest of the lot has to be those Budak Koleq that think that their MCKK will still be the best that ever will be.

The fact is MCKK is in a rot. All signs are there for all to see.

BETTERING LAST YEAR

2010-04-23T12:01:00.000+08:00

This is my 34th postings for this year.Which means I have bettered my postings for year 2009, quantity-wise that is. It's been quite a struggle, what more with constant pokes and taunts by Screwboy and Knizam.

I think that's what life is these days. A struggle. It's hard work meeting deadlines, bosses breathing down your neck, paying bills, kids demanding their share of attention, etc. hahahaha. Can't we go back in time when life is easier and the only thing that to look forward to for the day is who's to hit at the rugby practice. Hmmm, that'd be nice.

Speaking about rugby practice, Syam invited me to join his company's rugby practice held every Saturday. I said yes, without thinking of course. A bit of Murphy's Law kicks in and now am facing with various hurdles to make it to the field. Ohh, I digress.

Back to the issue. Though I miss those laidback times very much, I fully realise that time moves and it moves with only one direction, forward that is. With capital F. And You have to move with the times.

You fell in love, you got married. You got married, you got kids if you're lucky. You got kids, they got to be fed. You feed the kids, they grow up. They grow up, you got old. Then you die.

You learn, you got degree. You got degree, you got job. You got job, you finish your job. You finish your job, you got scolded. Then you die. Hahahaha...

It's not that straightforward like what I described but you get the picture.

But the most important thing is life is about making continuous improvements along the way. Do better today than what you did yesterday and do better tomorrow than what you do today. Rasulullah demands that. Improvements for self, good. Improvements for self and others, great.

Let's just try to be better. But I still want my Focus TDCI...

BB

2010-04-22T08:46:00.001+08:00

First, it was Rough for a long time.

Then it got Mpro. Chibiok fell to it recently.

It got Ezam too.

Who's next? You Screwboy?

Damn. This thing mighty infectious. Reminder to self - Don't read the e-mails. It spreads through there.

UPDATES 24 APRIL 2010

Screwboy got infected today.

-LONG LIVE CONSUMERISM-

FORD FOCUS TDCI

2010-04-19T14:23:00.004+08:00

* 2.0 liter Ford Duratorq engine.
* 134 horsepower.
* 320Nm of torque.
* 0-100km/h in 9.8 seconds.
* 6-speed Powershift transmission.
* Leather interior.
* 6-CD changer with MP3 support.
* Dual airbags.
* ABS brakes.
* ESP stability control.
* TCS traction control.

PRICE : RM128,888. Go here for review.

Drool man, drool...

DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'...hahaha...

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

2010-04-17T13:03:00.001+08:00

Here's our own Frank Abagnale, Jr. Frank Abagnale, Jr was the real-life impostor, fleshed out on screen by Leonardo Di Caprio in the 2002 film "Catch Me If You Can".

But our own man was caught very early in his career (NST, 11 April 2010), unlike Abagnale, Jr who managed to prise millions of dollars from unsuspecting people, posing as an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer along the way.

Two striking similarities between the self-styled Tuan Muda and Mr. Abagnale, Jr are both started very young, before even reaching their 20th birthday and both are allegedly brilliant. The Tuan Muda got strainght As in his SPM.

If not for a childhood friend who noticed him during his impersonation rounds, he might still be walking the streets and who knows what might be his next adventures.

But the funny thing about this is the gullibilty of the officials, easily awed by titles, royalties, palace people, etc to be the unwilling players in the laughable charade.

For all the antics, the boy is walking scot-free after apologising to the Pahang royal household. He is also been offered to do his matriculation in Johor (the study offer all on merits and has got nothing to do with the impersonation).

I think the Government should closely monitor the progress of this boy and better to start thinking of putting this boy's talent to good use.

For what use? Alah, let them think la...

KOEY TEAW GORENG

2010-04-13T22:35:00.006+08:00

Malam-malam ni kalau dapat makan koey teaw goreng panas-panas bagus jugak ni. Makan dengan cili potong letak kicap, perghhhhh...

Tapi itu semua hanya angan-angan!!!

Apakan daya. Aku masih di ofis pada malam hari jadiku yang ke-33.

-SELAMAT HARI JADI-

Semoga tahun ini akan menjadi tahun yang paling baik dalam hidup saya dan keluarga. Amin.

leavesyouspeechless

2010-04-04T20:03:00.002+08:00

We, me & Aily, found it today.

Something that leavesyouspeechless. We like the fact the thing we found leavesyouspeechless.

What to do? Contemplate, then decide.

Hahaha...if only it's that easy...

I AM THE RUNNING MAN

2010-03-29T23:22:00.001+08:00

Updates.

First, the race. It started at the appointed time. Ran at my own pace and kept reminding myself not to get caught up with the faster runners. Skipped the first and second hydration station as there were too many people. The half-way mark was somewhere near the Cyberjaya Police Complex. At 7 km mark (I think), in front of the MMU gate, I paced myself with a fellow runner until he stopped at the water station. From there onwards, I was on my own until the finishing line. The last km stretch was very invigorating knowing that the pain will soon be over and I will soon be getting the promised medal, hahaha.

Alhamdulillah, I managed to finish the race incident-free. The queue to take the goodies bag was quite long but I was only too glad to stand in line. I later found out that many runners were complaining about the shabby organisation of the race.

Post race - I was not too bad. I managed to get up early early to take part in the community get-together the morning after, attended my karate class and later in the afternoon, took Aily and Eiddin to MidValley.

So this is how it felt being a runner. It is good, really. Worth the time and the pain. It is one good thing knowing that I can (still) run. But the other one good thing is the sense of achievement felt right after crossing the finishing line - of being able to see through the thing that I set out to do. I'd recommend it to anyone, anytime.

When's the next one?

FEW HOURS AFTER THE RACE

2010-03-28T01:58:00.001+08:00

It's 2 am.

I am now a runner.

Ran the full length at 1:09:09.

More updates later.

For now, I just want to sleep. And I still cannot stop smiling.

FEW HOURS BEFORE THE RACE

2010-03-27T13:40:00.000+08:00

I have few hours left before the race. Went to collect my running vest this morning at Ground Zero. It was a hive of activities there. Tents being set up, portable loos being put in place and people walking here and there looking convincingly busy.

Am planning to leave home around 6. Park my car at KLIA ERL Station and take the shuttle bus to Cyberjaya.

I am quite nervous about tonight. Can I finish it in time? Wait, wait - Can I even finish it? Hahaha, we shall see, we shall see.

Wish me luck.

THE RACE IS ON

2010-03-26T11:55:00.000+08:00

The race is tomorrow.

Let's go distance.

Welcome any form of support, hahaha...

****

While I was busy training for the race, Emil was almost drowned during the school holidays.

He went back to the his grandmother's house for the holidays and she took him to the swimming pool. Once they were in, she had to come out to take some things in the car and Emil was left with our family friends who went together with him. It happened in a flash, I was told. While there were busy putting on the suits, Emil with his misguided confidence jumped into the deeper end of the pool. And of course, he found out he can't swim and panicked. Well, Emil canot swim just yet but me and Aily had been encouraging him all these while.

According to Emil, it was a lady who saved him. And I would like to thank the lady as my mother in law forgot to thank her or even ask her name.

But the scary thing was nobody in the family realised that Emil was drowning though they were standing beside the pool. They only knew that he almost drowned when they saw him sitting on the ledge heaving with a pale face. Parents, uncles, guardians never take your eyes off your charges at the swimming pool.

Emil was down with fever the day after the incident. Kena jampi jugak.

JPAM/JPA3

2010-03-22T08:50:00.001+08:00

Civil Defence Dept in every district soon

ALOR STAR: The Civil Defence Department (JPAM) plans to set up an office in every district in the country soon in a move to recruit more volunteers.
JPAM director-general Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid said an officer would be placed in each offices to disseminate information about the department, particularly to those interested in joining as volunteers.

"Up to Dec 2009, we have about 80,000 trained volunteers and I am optimistic the number will increase eventually following the setting up of one office in each district. It will also help to improve the department's effectiveness in carrying out its duties, especially in rural areas," he said after launching JPAM's 58th anniversary celebrations yesterday.

Good. They will sure come in handy. I called these guys a week back to help me get rid of a bee hive in the neighboring empty house. They were very helpful and went about their task efficiently. They can also help with snakes and rescue work.

You can get them by calling 999.

BLOGGING, SO YESTERDAY. OR IS IT?

2010-03-21T19:44:00.000+08:00

There was an article in the NST today on how blogging is on the way out as more and more people are now bombarded with choices on how best to stamp their presence in the cyberworld. The writer suggested that blogging has had its day. The in-thing now is social networking sites e.g. FB and its like. Already there are so many abandoned blogs on the Net, the writer added.

Has blogging seen its best days? No lah, I don't think so. Blogging and social networking sites serve different purpose. I, for one, is more fond of blogging as opposed to FB. Blogging is more permanent than FB. How many of us remember our status from last month, or last week for that matter? I can retrieve my entire entries since the day I started.

I pen my thoughts, etc in my blog. It serves as my journal, though the updating frequency always invite side ribbing comments from Screwboy and KNO. I put in a lot of thoughts when I blog la Joe, that's why, hahahah. FB? I only log in to keep tabs on my FB friends. Sometimes, I do put in stupid comments, just for fun :). But FB is great for sharing pictures.

To each their own.

DHANI TACKLES THE GLOBE@DISCOVERY TRAVEL & LIVING

2010-03-11T13:31:00.000+08:00

Move over Miami Ink, LA Ink or whatever Ink.

Discovery Travel Channel will be showing this show tonight. At 9 pm. Am actually looking forward to it. It's about the host travelling around the world learning to play sports significant to the places he's visiting. Along the way, like any other travel show, he will try to sample food, visit places and learn about the world cultures. Most probably there will be sprinkling of world peace messages thrown in also.

Its premise is interesting.Only hopefully the presentation will give justice to the premise.

Quick search on the Net leads me here.

The host of the show is an NFL player, Dhani Jones, who has quite an impressive resume. According to the bio, this guy has played for the Bengals, the Saints and few other famous teams. he's also a philantropist and has a fashion line to his name. Talk about having it all. Read more about Dhani Jones here.

Let's see what the show has to offer tonight.

SALOMON KANE - THE REVIEW

2010-03-08T09:16:00.000+08:00

Blood - checked.

Body count - checked.

Countless fight scenes - checked.

Strong, handsome hero - checked.

Beautiful leading lady - not checked (the heroin was not much of a lady, more like a girl who's just reached puberty).

The story was about a man on his path towards redemption and finding his purpose of existence. The hero had done terrible things, according to him. Killing people came to him easily.

His was a tortured, tormented soul. Plus, his soul is owned by the Devil. And now, the devil was coming for his soul. I didn't get it how did the Devil got Salomon's soul, though. Am kind of lost on that. My guess is that it was the doing of his father who made a pact to with the Devil to save his elder brother.

The story was so-so to me. The ending, as agreed by Aily & myself, was the ultimate undoing of the movie. It was very anti-climactic. We were expecting a grand battle between Salomon and his tormentors. But what we got was a very lame affair.

If you asked me, I think you'd be better off watching Niyang Rapik, hahahah. Which I have not.

SALOMON KANE

2010-03-06T20:35:00.000+08:00

Salomon Kane, GSC Alamanda, Today 10 pm.

Let's see whether we still have the stomach for action and blood fest.

HEED THE FATIGUE SIGNS

2010-03-04T22:58:00.000+08:00

Taken from The Sun today.

"Drivers who keep rubbing their eyes or begin to blink frequently should heed these early warning signs of fatigue by pulling off the road to rest, advised the German Road Safety Council (DVR).

Otherwise, they could fall victim to a microsleep (above), which sharply increases the risk of an accident.

It is estimated that one in four traffic fatalities on German highways is caused by a driver who fell asleep momentarily.

As the DVR pointed out, if a driver travelling at 130kph has a microsleep for just five seconds, the car will go 180 metres without anyone in control.

Patent remedies for driver fatigue, including listening to music and letting fresh air into the car, are merely half-measures, the DVR said.

It recommended one thing only: getting sufficient sleep. – dpa"

Timely reminder. It is one thing that all drivers know but often ignored.

I have had series of microsleeps myself. When I am tired during the long drives, especially on the PLUS highways, I do like what other drivers do as mentioned in the article. And like the article said, there are merely half measures. The best is to pull over and get a quick nap. Don't fight it. It's not worth it.

SUPERHEROES IN THE HOUSE

2010-03-03T23:34:00.000+08:00

Emil came back with a mask made by himself during his art class today. It was a superhero mask, he said.

Not one to be outdone, Eiddin of course wanted one too. So mum made him one.

(I WANT TO BE) THE RUNNING MAN

2010-03-02T09:00:00.000+08:00

I have registered to run in the inaugural Energizer Night Race 2010 to be held at Cyberjaya. Come night of 27th March, it's a Saturday, I will be huffing, puffing and most probably be hanging on to dear life to finish the 10K. It will be my first race and what better way to do it than to run in the dark?

There's still 25 more days to the day of the race. Ample time, I suppose. I have been doing some training. So far, I am quite comfortable running the distance of 6km in 45 minutes. I hope by the time of the race, I will be able to go the full distance. I have not set a lofty target for myself. It would be good enough if I can finish the race. And it shall be a bonus if I can finish it well within the qualifying time.

Why I am doing it, I don't know. Out of boredom partly, but mostly to break the WALL. I have been running on my own every now and then, 3k being the usual distance, 5k when I am in the mood. But I have not really challenged myself to go the distance. It's good to know whether I can do it or not. I think I can. I believe I can, but I can't say for sure. Henry Ford said,"If you think you can do it, you're right. If you think you can't do it, you're still right." So, let's see :).

Truth be told, this is actually a classic example of tiada beban batu digalas, hahahaha. Below is the route for the run. If I didn't contact you days after the race, please comb the area.

1YENGKOZ TEA PARTY

2010-03-01T14:34:00.001+08:00

Posting ini hanya satu posting formaliti (obligatory posting).

1Yengkoz Tea Party telah berjaya dilaksanakan pada hujung minggu lalu (Sabtu, 27 Februari) di rumah mewah Chamat di kejiranan mewah Bukit Jelutong.

Noni Kapet dah buat liputan hampir sepenuhnya di sini and sini. Gambar-gambar daripada lensa aku boleh dilihat di sini.

Yang dia tak dedahkan adalah dialah culprit yang lambat pi ambik kunci rumah Chamat, berpeluh jantan dan betina beberapa jam sebelum acara sebenar sebab adik Chamat (pemegang kunci rumah Chamat) tak dapat dihubungi dan seterusnya datang lewat setengah jam lepas katerer iaitu Mattop sampai. Walau bagaimanapun, selepas itu, semua berjalan lancar.

Acara utama - MAKAN - berjalan cukup lancar. Semua makanan lazat-lazat belaka. Dek sebab melimpahnya rezeki untuk sesi ini, semua orang dapat tapau makanan untuk insan-insan yang ditinggalkan di rumah.

...antara yang hadir...

...Upacara simbolik penyerahan tugas Presiden...

...ucapan sulung Presiden Baru...

...orang paling happy...

Beberapa perkara yang tidak dilapor oleh Noni Kapet:

1. Bobo, E81, Rumah Ahmad telah dilucutkan keahlian sebulat suara sebab gagal hadir walaupun telah sahkan kehadiran. Walau bagaimanapun, keputusan itu sedang beliau cabar di peringkat Majlis Presiden.

2. Ada ahli Rumah Ahmad sedang cuba untuk melantik kapten baru bagi rumah mereka sebab Che Mat masih belum balik dari USA. Pencabar-pencabar serius termasuk Chibiok dan Badut.

3. Ahli-ahli Rumah Ahmad telah cuba untuk mendapatkan bantuan ahli Rumah Sulaiman untuk menyelesaikan krisis kepimpinan ini. Tetapi, ahli Rumah Sulaiman terpaksa menolak atas semangat menghormati antara Rumah Sukan.

4. Khalid dan Kalai enggan ambik aku untuk masuk team futsal 1Yengko. Aku akan hantar memorandum berkenaan perkara ini tidak lama lagi.

5. Pejal, E6, Rumah Idris juga sedang dipertimbang untuk dilelong no. dobinya sebab mungkir janji untuk hadir.

6. Chibiok adalah pembuat air pada hari itu.

7. Penyumbang-penyumbang makanan adalah:

i. Lisa, wife Gabai;

ii. Red, wife Badut;

iii. Kalai - kuihmalaysia.com.

Terima kasih kepada semua yang hadir dan telah menjayakan acara ini.

Acara seterusnya adalah bowling di Alamanda. Dijangka dalam bulan April 2010.

TOKYO SOJOURN

2010-02-10T11:45:00.001+08:00

We went to Tokyo and came back.

Stayed at the Grand Palace Hotel across the Nippon Budokan and the Imperial Palace complex. Managed to go to several places despite the official schedule. The most notable were the Yasukuni Shrine (for me) and Tokyo Disney (for us). Also managed to see Shinjuku and its famous back streets. I know now that Ridley Scott was inspired by the back streets of Shinjuku and went on to made Blade Runner starring Harrison Ford (I haven't seen the film). Also went to Ueno, Akihabara, Tokyo Central, Ameyoko Bazaar and few other places. We also went to two Hard Rock Cafes in Ueno and Narita.

Pressed for time, we gave up oft-mentioned places such as Roppongi, Harajuku and Shibuya. Wasted some time looking for Muslim restaurant in Ichigaya on our the day of arrival. Spent our last night in Japan at Narita.

We rode the Tokyo Subway, famed for its efficiency and the extensive network, and the JR Line (above ground train). Aily was particularly fond of the Kudanshita Station. But we missed the Shinkansen. Aily fulfilled her childhood dream of going to Disneyland. If only Emil and Eiddin were there.

Tokyo's a nice place to go. Many would agree. It is beautiful and clean.

Some of the pictures.

YENGKOZ 2010 YEAR LONG CELEBRATION

2010-02-05T09:32:00.004+08:00

Always on the lookout for cheap entertainment and also for in-house or home-grown comedic talents (read : Chibix), we decided that we will be having the launching of the YENGKOZ 2010 YEAR LONG CELEBRATION at the biggest Yengko'z house thus far i.e. Chamat's residence in Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam.

The details:

DATE : 27 FEBRUARI 2010 (SABTU)

TIME : 3 PETANG

VENUE : CHAMAT'S @ 7 JALAN TIANG SERI U8/73G,PERSIARAN GERBANG UTAMA, 40150 BUKIT JELUTONG, SHAH ALAM

COVER CHARGE : RM30 (INDIVIDU/FAMILY)

You can confirm your attendance with me or with Ezam. Check out Noni , KNO and Joey.

p.s.: Knizam, Screwboy - now please do the honourable thing :)

BREAKFAST SANS KARIPAP

2010-01-23T14:06:00.002+08:00

Went for breakfast at Kampung Baru with the usual suspects this morning. There was no karipap at Mak Wanjor so the breakfast session cannot be said Sesi Mengaripap.

Ezam, Mpro & Chib arrived the earliest. I came with Eiddin soon after. Mattop came in dressed up as Adnan Sempit. Screwboy came with his little Screws complete with the Screwdriver, hahahah...and Ruff made a grand entrance with Iyra. Chamat did not turn up, probably taking an extended weekend nap.

There were few things up for discussion - the oil price, Maria Ozawa, the Yengkoz Year Long Celebration & MigDuck activities.

Me & Mpro had to leave early. Mpro had to work & I had to run some errands before leaving tonight. By the time we left, the discussion was on how much we are going to charge for Makan-makan @ Chamat's place. But it is more or less settled that it will be held on 27/2.

OFF TO JAPAN

2010-01-23T13:41:00.000+08:00

I am off to Japan until end of the month. No, not to see Maria, in case you are wondering. It's purely business :). Maybe next time.

I am there for a study visit representing my office. The programme will stretch from Monday until Friday.

Aily is also coming with me (another reason not to see Miyabi) on this trip.

Let's hope it will be a good trip.

BIKE ACCIDENT NO.1

2010-01-22T10:56:00.003+08:00

Emil had his first accident riding his bicycle the day before yesterday. It was quite a nasty one as he dove head first into the ground. The right cheek and shoulder scraped the tarred road resulting in a very, very noticeable badge of honour.

Did he cry? Yes, of course. Loud enough for the whole area to hear.

He was racing down the road in front of the house with another friend. I was watching from a distance when I noticed that the bike went wobbly. Few wobbles to the left and right, the next thing I saw was his feet going up in the air.

Fortunately, nothing happened to the glasses. The bicycle was not that lucky as the handle was not where it was supposed to be anymore. But the mechanic should be able to fix it.

Turned out that he also cycled in the morning against my clear instruction no to do so. So I quickly spinned the accident as Allah's punishment for being disobedient :).

Strangely enough, I was more proud than worried by this. Mestilah, jatuh basikal baru la anak jantan!!!

TEACHERS OF M.C.K.K

2010-01-19T13:32:00.000+08:00

OFF THE EDGE (OTE), January 2010 issue runs a nice story about 4 non-malay teachers who spent a great deal of their time teaching the students of MCKK. The article was first published in OTE, July 2005. The editor must have been bitten by the 1Malaysia bug to have this article re-issued.

It was a good article, though it may appeal only to a certain section of the population. But a careful reading will reveal one of the more important blocks of nation-building, but sadly the one that is often forgotten.

Entitled 'FOUR WISE MEN', it chronicled their experiences and their thoughts on MCKK and those who mattered i.e . the boys. The night activities were also discussed albeit encoded.

One of the the teacher interviewed touched on the exposures Budak Koleq used to get. I quote, "These boys [used to] mix with all sorts. This is the thing that makes them learn, it's the exposure, it's what makes them leaders of the country." (Mr. Chin Lim Sen)

When asked about what prompted them to go beyond the call of duty, the teacher replied, "First as a teacher, if you look at the children, they are all the same regardless of the colour of the skin...I treated them like my own children."

One of the teacher opined that teachers are important for nation-building "...So they need the right people at the education department there." [read : right teachers for Koleq]. The four teachers, at some point or another, had turned down offers for promotions just to stay and serve Koleq longer.

Go on. Get your copy. I will not give mine.

Noni Kapet also wrote something on the teachers of M.C.K.K.

SOPAK GARAM

2010-01-18T09:13:00.002+08:00

I had an attack of sopak garam, or hives last week. The last time I had it was in 2006. This time, a visit to the doctor and a jab took care of it.

I just knew that thing is known as hives, thanks to Joe a.k.a Screwboy. It is also known as gegata and urticaria. Boboe pointed out that it is believed hives is caused by one being sprayed by the vampires.

Interestingly, a Google search led to a revelation that apart from allergies, stress is also a common cause of hives. See here.

MPRO DAH UPDATE BLOG

2010-01-12T17:37:00.003+08:00

Caya lah...

Mpro dah update blog !!! Syabas Inspector Sahab...

Ada impak juga desakan aku rupanya, walaupun Mpro menggelarkan aku suara-suara sumbang.

UPDATE LA BLOG TU WEIII

2010-01-10T14:17:00.004+08:00

Weeiii mpro, pyan & radin...

Update la blog tu.Jangan malasss. Karang celebrity blogger KNO sound secara live daripada Islamabad, Pakistan, susah.

Kalau tak, campak je ke laut...hahahah

Tak pun, korang naik Overfloor - lepas tu terjun.

BENGKAK KEPALA

2010-01-10T09:41:00.003+08:00

Aduhh...sakit kepalaku!!!

Eddin had a nasty bump last night, courtesy of closer than close contact with wall of our house at a speed that warrants a speeding ticket : ).

RUN BUDDY RUN

2010-01-09T16:43:00.002+08:00

...First...exercise...of...
the...year.

I...ran...3.5 km...

...Am tired...

LES GROSSMAN

2010-01-04T00:33:00.007+08:00

Is it really Tom Cruise?

It is Tom Cruise.

Aku sorang je tak tau Les Grossman dalam Tropic Thunder tu Tom Cruise rupanya. Ye lah, cerita tahun 2008, hujung tahun 2009 baru tengok.

EMIL DAH BOLEH NAIK BASIKAL

2010-01-02T12:30:00.004+08:00

After training intensively for 2 days, Emil came out tops when he's now able ride on 2 wheels. It was frustrating at the beginning as Emil was not that keen on the prospect of his knees scraping the tarmac. We have to goad, coax, butter him up and almost literally dragged him out of the house to get him astride his bicycle. After nth tries, Emil managed to do it, much to our relief!!! It was difficult teaching someone who has answers to everything you say.

A TIME TO REFLECT

2010-01-01T19:36:00.009+08:00

This is the time of the year when I am supposed to look back and reflect of things done, not done or undone in the past year(s) of my life. It is not a particularly nice activity really, as I haven't had much to reflect upon, hahaha... I have no life.

I am a junior civil servant work-wise. I still get scoldings from my bosses. I am earning a so-so salary. I only have a bachelor degree to my name, I sometime miss my prayers, I have 2 sons who most times refuse to listen to me. I don't have that much in the bank. And my golf is worst at best.

But then, one only needs to look harder to know that one is living a blessed life. Indeed, I am living a good life. I have passed few hurdles. I have a steady job. Good health. Money to spend. I have books to read. I have a lovely wife. I have a family. I have parents to call. I can still run (though I am not running as much as I'd like too these days). And I am thankful.

One shall only use one's own yardstick to measure one's life and not by others. Of course, there are many others who are earning more, those who have travelled more, those who have bigger and flashier cars, those who pray more (but not necessarily more pious, hehehe), those who have studied more. To each their own.

I have yet to draw up this year's resolution. Will do it during this weekend break. So far I have not train my sight on any particular goals, but of course the usual stuffs - be a better husband, be a better father, be a better worker, be a better servant to HIM - will be there, hahaha...but I am not taking "#5.Get a touring bike." off this year's list. Sure it is not happening this year, but at least, I will not forget, hahahaha...

For now, let's try to make 2010 a better year for me and for those dear to me.

A NEW YEAR

2010-01-01T00:19:00.001+08:00

Dear All,

Happy New Year 2010.

May this will be a better year than the last.

A NEW BEGINNING

2009-12-31T23:16:00.008+08:00

While we are coming to the end of another year, Emil (& us too) is embarking on a new chapter of his life. A chapter that will take up at least quarter, if not more, of one's life. The formal education chapter.

Today, Emil begins his first day at the SK Bandar Seri Putra. The school is new, having just started its operation June this year. From our initial survey, the school looks well equipped, modern and was built with proper planning.

For us, especially the mother, the preparation began much earlier. The uniforms were the first thing we went for to avoid the last minute rush. Then, we concluded everything else last week - the bag, the shoes, etc.

Emil was, and still is quite nonchalant about the whole thing. The excitement is nowhere to be found despite much prodding from us. We are praying very hard that is just his way of dealing with his own anxiety in starting school and he will take things more seriously soon.

Here are some pics of the day.

...walking to the class...

...Emil and the other 519 sons & daughters...

YOU KNOW IT WAS WORTH IT

2009-12-15T17:41:00.003+08:00

I was busy the whole of last week minding delegates from a South Asian country and a recovering island country not far from ours.

My team and I, we tried to give our best as anything less would not be good for the image of the department. Indeed, the whole affair was very tiring while the usual office grind had to go on too.

But it was all worth it when you get a thank you note like this.

My Dear Mr. XXXX,

As-Salam-o-Alaikum,

Back in Pakistan and business as usual, still I cherish the sweet memories of the days spent there in your country, enjoying your warm hospitality and experiencing the pleasant and enriching study tour. Looking back I simply don’t know on what specific account I should especially express my gratitude. The whole trip, the whole program was spotlessly marvelous in the true sense of the word.

Meticulously planned and executed in an efficient way, the entire agenda of the trip afforded us an abundant opportunity to see and learn. The findings and observations I gathered there are appropriate to our country and truly worth emulating to improve ours.

Whatever observation I made there has left a relishing impression on my mind, especially the well planned town systems offering public service and squeaky clean streets and thoroughfares. The other most remarkable feature is the God given bounty of natural beauty, simply breath taking which makes me wonder how different would the paradise be, God knows better. What could I only say if William Words Worth, poet of the nature should ever arise in Malaysia, he would never run short of themes.

Thanks and regards to all who made this trip a wonderful experience.

Regards

XXXXXXX