Kerja, kerja, kerja, makan

My work schedule for the march and April are packed with visits and audits to out of states site, so much so that I have to go away for at least 2 nights once a week. Talk about trying to fulfill someone's KPI and us as pawn were asked to be mobilised at their whim and fancy.

Anyhow, a silver lining is that everywhere where go we are setting up ourself for some new culinary delight. For instance, the recent trip to the east coast, where we were invited to dinner at one of our colleague's house. Mansion by KL standard that was. Built on a 1.5 acre of land, he has a fish pond almost half the size of an olympic pool plus a kebun of similar size to boot. The house is set right at the back of the land, so you got a long drive to the residence. Given that the land and labour is quite cheap there, he managed to save up and do everything bit by bit untuil what he has it what we saw. And if we were to emulate him here, I think it would set us back a 7 figure amount.




And after we finished dinner, we manage to get to White House Coffee for some supper. The toast bread and homemade kaya was good, but thier speciality was the half boiled eggs. Plates after plates of the egges where dished out in perfect consistencies. It was a highly guarded secret so much so that I was told off not to take photographs of the kitchen.





So where next? Kuantan, Pasir Gudang, Alor Setar, Pulau Pinang, Kampar, Manjung, Melaka, Kuala Terengganu etc, etc......

Tipsy at 5pm in the park

I managed to get back to home early yesterday and took the two kids out to the park. Whilst I was there, I noticed this groups of students, still in their uniforms occupying one of the gazebos there. At first glance it was a normal sight, just a groups of friends hanging about in the park after school. What caught my attention was the fact that some of them are smoking, lying on the bench speaking loudly and that there was puke on the floor in the gazebo and what seem to be an almost empty bottle of liqour in the midst of them.

They were oblivious to the fact that they were drinking and smoking in public, on a public ground where children are around them. I was contemplating of telling them off straight, but i was there holding the girl. I got to talk with some of the parents there and they told me that a call to our friend in blue was made almost 20 minutes ago but none came to disperse the group.

This is a not a shocking revelation to me, where I have witnessed this sort of thing during my stint abroad, but to see it happening here is sad. Maybe they should be exposed to the fact about juvenile smoking and drinking and what it can cause them in health in the long run. I guess that the late tween was a time of discovery to them but it would be a waste to see our youth going to the path of self destruction.

I told the mrs. about it and my intention of telling them off, but was warned that I may not be around as much as her in the taman and she feared the retribution of the group. With all that is happening, we are turning into a scared community, scared at the sight of gangs on motorcycles, loud and drunk youths at parks and scared at the sight of a person on a motorcycle in case it turns out to a a snatcher. Maybe its time someone up above addresses this issue instead of fighting about power and positions. 

Third time a charm ?

I was enrolled in a career development plan at my work place, which entails my competency to be assessed before I could move on to the next stage. This is the third time I'm attending it, with the last two brought unfavorable results to me. The thing with this assessment is that the manner that the assessor quizzed you about things, it going to make u feel at the end of the session that you are so small and insignificant, which make you wander why you bother to join it in the first place.

So the third the charm? I dunno... I wouldn't get my hope high first in case it would be crushed to pieces later....

In recovery (and pain)

I had a session of kick about with my former schoolmates and their former uni mates in town last Friday. The thing is, I have injured myself by being tackled during the game right on the shin below the right knee. When it happened I can manage to  finish the game and start the next one for a few minutes until I resign in being the keeper.

Now I walk like House MD with a noticeable limp. Someone commented at my age I should not take up contact sports anymore but to be content with low impact such as golf full time. The thing is this is not something that I have the craving for, in case anyone needs to know I'm crap in sports especially the ones that involves skills such as dribbling past an opponent etc. I'm more into the running or swimming kinda of person, where you just need yourself to do it but once in a while its nice to join in the camaraderie. 

With the 'age factor' taken into account, I think it will be a slow recovery for me this time around. On the plus side,  it will give me  bragging  rights about being injured during a futsal match, instead of say ballroom dancing...hehe

The Big 10

What’s a 10? It’s a number that came after 9 and before 11. It’s the start of the double digits, famous numbers for footballer, maybe a number that I want my golfing handicap to be and the month I’m born in. But the number is extra special for me this year as it marks the 10^th year anniversary of our marriage.

 10 years might be long to some, might be short to some but to me it had held some precious memories. It has its ups and downs, sweet and bitter, happy and sad and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.

 This year, I have planned something special for the mrs, some time away together, a theatre and dinner, a *special* gift that would help the mrs getting out and about if I’m not there. The only thing is that our wedding anniversary coincides with Valentine’s, hence dinner plans would be exorbitant.

 Happy 10^th Anniversary My Dear ….

1 x 5 = 5, 2 x 5 = 10…

The boy surprised us the other day. He called the mrs saying that he had stood up in front of his school assembly and recited the multiplication tables. I was surprised when I heard about it, as I was in the thinking of he has some issues about performing in front of a crowd. He managed to complete the recital and he was so excited about it, telling us that he was one of the few boys in Year 2 who had done that. The rest were students from the upper years.

 

He said that he wanted to go up again when the opportunity arises again. Hopefully it will be the start of a good thing for him.  

Bringing home a stray

When I was samll, we use to bring back stray cats back home, but my mum will have none of it .. & I always tell the boy not to bring bcak home any animals that he may have found. Until this day .. we were back in Pekan and I was enjoying (suffering more like it) my 6km run when I spy something in the middle of the road. Upon closer inspection I found out that it was this  ....

Updates awaiting!

It has been a while since the blog is updated ... too many things, too short of time.. will do it in the course of the week....now need to sort out my materials...

OMG! Fungus Attack ..

OMG! The horror of being attacked has finally been validated! The picture tells it all... sedeynye ..

Couldn't imagine that the sepakers could also be infected by fungus. My trusty Mission 73C now dead after more than 13 years. 

Now have to consider a dry cabinet for my lenses, well at least the current ones ( The Minolta Sigma 70-210mm f3.5-4.6 is beyond rescue).  Now the question is how to replace ?

God Bless The Plasticines

Sometimes I wonder, what goes on in the mind of a child. How did I react to the same situation when I was small, as I often felt that any instruction would go in one ear and out the other for the boy. Simple instruction would take a few pushes before it being implemented, up to the point of testing our patience.

The latest case in hand, we specifically instructed the boy to order his name tag from his class teacher along with giving him the money to do so. The money has been lying on the dresser for days before he actually took it to school today. 

When I got back from work today,I expected him to tell me about him ordering the name tags but what he told me in return astounded me. He told me that he didn't order the name tag but instead of telling me he spent the money on toys or stationeries, he just said that he put in in the 'Kanak-kanak Plasticine' fund.. Initially I was bursting in a fit of laughter bu then I realised, even a child knew what the Palestinians is suffering and willing to part with his money to help them. God bless.....

Blowing bubbles

Teringat lagu masa kecik2 dulu :-

Saya suka main buih sabun,
gelembung bulat, cantik berkilat,
bila ditiup angin sekawan,
terbang tinggi sampai ke awan.

Sabun taruk air,
kocak-kocak jadi buih,
ambil buluh, celup tiup,
buih terbang sayup.

Abang & Adik enjoying a session of blowing bubbles ...

Please let me out baba

When I grow up, I want to be a model

Bubble blower

Tangkap adik, tangkap bubble tu

Cuti-cuti Malaysia - Langkawi 2008

This year we have decided to revisit Langkawi. The last visit was in 2006 and we did 'unadventurous' stuff, so this time around we planned a laid back trip. Planning the trip was a task in itself as the accommodation that we have requested was not available and all other were full. Even calls to local travel agents were not well received as that was the peak period on their calendar.

In the end we managed to get accommodation, albeit not the first choice, an overpriced transportation to help us moving around not to mention the level of service and price sucks during the peak season.

So this time, the most adventurous thing that we did was going up the cable car. We actually when there twice, the first time the queue was so long that it almost reached the gate. The ride up as quite scary & windy, and they have built a new suspension bridge spanning across the mountain range range with a spectacular view. Plus they have got some petting animals in the area, hence the kids could play around.









Overall it was an OK trip, but really need a break after the trip..hehe..

Bombshell

Went to the boy's school on Tuesday to collect his report card & getting to know which class he getting into next year.

Good News :- he's first in his class and 5th overall in standard 1.

Bad News :- all year 2 & 3 would be in the afternoon session starting next year.

I was like WTF!!!? school's opening in a week and now only they are telling us about it?!

A few of our friends have pulled out their children including the boy's best friend from the school to somewhere nearer to home for easier coordination. The neighbours are still staying put, so now we have to decide. Asked the boy about it and he says that he's OK with staying put, albeit without his best friend.

So now we have to decide ... decisions, decisions...

Krants 91 - Reunion 2008 - Part 2

The reunion this year is by far the most attended to by my batchmates. So far, the average attendees would be around 20 per event, but this year we mange to get around 40. Some I haven't met since leaving school, some I meet on occasionally. Most of us have changed physically (except for Ahpoi) but mentally we were still the kids who left school 17 years ago.

Even though we are at different station in life currently, when we got together especially during the games, there's no barrier. Everything was like when it was years ago, all level all equal. (one thing that most of us has underestimated is our level of fitness, hehe..)


The presence of teachers during dinner also reinforced the nostalgic feeling..plus with Pn Sabariah bringing her daughters, some of us has the cheek to say that if we fared better in physics then some of us might get into her good book ... as if .. looking that she teaches us 17 years ago and her eldest might be ..say 22, which make her 5 yrs old then, then hold that thought cradlesnatchers .... muahahaha





On the whole, even though the reunion organized by amiekids is a little bit 'loose' on organization, their effort has to be lauded for managing to pull it off after defaulting it last year. Hopefully the next one would be as memorable .. Zaaba you have a big shoe to fill ...




ps... too many pics to upload, you could view mine & ijam's here

Krants 91 - Reunion 2008 - Part 1

First of all, FYI, my schoolmates have this understanding that each year we will have a reunion of our 87--91 batch, just to keep up with the developments. The normal process for it is that a sport-house has to organise one every year. So we keep on pestering the organisers for this year to come out with a plan and it wasn't until the end of the year something materialises.

They were touting it as 'an ingenious plan' as it has never been done before, and the hype building up to the announcement of the event was so that when they finally unveiled the plan, there were two camps :- one with the premature ejaculation looks & the other with multiple orgasm looks. Why? Because their previous plans were like outrageous and the new sound sounds like, a plan. A sleepover in school, boys only, no family.

I have to be honest, at first I was like WTF?, these boys are so very-the-cheapskate one, but I signed on anyway. Slowly yet surely, the responses and reply were encouraging and the plan finally merged into somewhat a blurry-out-of-focus somewhat brittle plan.

So when the day comes, I made my way back there, through the route that I have travelled frequently during 87-91. Even though I have at some point in time passed through the route and by the school, this particular journey felt like it did years ago. You know, sometime you are not all excited to be shipped back to boarding school from home, you felt that every step closer to the school your temperature rises and you would like to turn back and call in sick for the rest of the year, the apprehension, the anxiety etc..

I think I have only been back to the school twice after I left, one is to get my exam results and the other to pick up my brother. After that they have shifted to the new premise in Putrajaya which doesn't hold any memories to us.

This is the main entrance where we were locked in..you have to submit you approved outing card just to be let out. Sometimes we forged the signatures of the wardens, hehe .. The other unofficial entrance is well..for 'flying'. The school was renamed to SM Sains Alam Shah.

First thing that strikes me is that, did someone ran amuk with some paints? The buildings were like some art deco project gone overboard. They were renovating the school, which we thought was a step in the right direction. Closer inspection on walkabout around the school reveals that the have removed all links to the old school but the facilities are still there but in a derelict and pathetic state. Maybe they don't have the budget for the up keeping of the school.

But, most part of the school hold some memories to us, some dear and precious, some downright should be buried in the deep dark part of our brains never to be resurrected back again. - end of part 1

Mobile at last...

My USB Stick came online today ... now I can internet connectivity whereever I go..(provided i bring my laptop along as well).. hehe.. testing it to the max...

Can you smell it?

It's the smell of my wallet burning.

My P-I-C and I went to the PC fair last weekend with two things in mind : him to get a printer and me to get my extra-capacity-storage device. We were adamant to stick to our game-plan, hence thats why there's the two of us, to remind ourselves of the objectives.

Well, normally things are easier said than done and in this instance it did happen :To my surprise he kept to his resolution and got the things that he wanted at a good bargain, me.....hmmm..got the things on my wishlist. My only defense is that it was really a good-time-limited-during-pc-fair-only-bargain.

Meet my new communication paraphernalia

Plam Centro in Black & USB Mobile broadband.

These could help me keep in touch with loved ones and overcome my connectivity issues... just a point to note, it's not the fugly egg... hehe...

Next on the wishlist : guidance from the sky ...

Updatez

It has been a while since I updated my blog. This is due to work commitment which have taken me to the length and breadth of the country in the past 2 weeks.

First and foremost I still think its not too late to wish Eid Mubarak for Aidil Adha. I've applied leave for 2 days after that but was recalled back for duty, lucky near to where I was then. But then again, it was extra work piled onto these shoulders and time off from my time off.

Some big tickets items are pending these coming months, so now need to prioritize. Mostly its about the car (insurance, road tax etc, repairs), IT (bigger storage device, navigation tools, mobile broadband, new phone to replace the dying one), Entertainment ( ICE, better dvd player than the chapalang one I have atm, mp3/4 player, LCD TV), PhotoG ( pending workshop, lightstands & backdrop, accessories) etc which could escalate to a small nation's GDP.

With the global uncertainties I think I would splurge only on the necessary. But then again, there's a very thin line of need/wants, so just watch this space.

Connectionless

My IT department has decided to play big brother, more akin to big bully. First they capped the access to the internet to 30 hrs/week, which I think is reasonable, else everyone would be less productive but they also blocked access to most highly accessed site, namely social networking & messaging.

This has left me out of touch with my PIC's during working hours. Now the only solution is to sign up with the mobile broadband package. The 'fugly egg' USB modem now looks more pleasing to the eye. Plus it would be a boon to stay connected during my domestic trips. Should I or shouldn't I now? Let's see what the oncoming PC fair has got to offer ...

The day I sneezed too hard

I have always have a loud sneeze. Lets just face it, if it's not out with full force, the satisfaction is not there. So, everytime I feel like a sneeze is coming, I just let it rip.

Until this. I was upstairs, Adi was downstairs with the mrs and the boy, trying to stand with the support of one of the pillars. I felt one coming, let it out with a full gusto, Adi heard it downstairs, startled, lost her balance and hit her eyes on some fixtures on the pillars, causing her to bleed.