First Day of School

First day of school! I meant the real school not like kindies and the ones that are excited more are the parents from what I observed. Parents are the ones who would queue with their child and eagerly awaits the nest instruction from teachers, whereas the child would be absorbed in his/her own world, anxious to survive the day rather than savour the experience of being in a new place and meeting new friends.

Also I found that some parents are a bit insensitive in the sense that they were hogging the tables at the canteen during the first year recess. Granted that you would want to save a seat for your child, but if theres five of you in the family at least get up and clear the table. Also wouldn't it be better to let them find their own way around the canteen with newly made friends. The least you could do it get up and clear the space for them to sit. Instead some of them have to sit on the floor or anywhere available to have their break.

It also brought back memories of my first day in school. Blackboards, chalks, long yellow ruler and feather dusters for dishing out punishments. Wonder what the boy will remember about his first day.

Toys for Boys

I got the boy a miniature RC Helicopter for Christmas as I thought it was a cool toy (definition of cool toy : the ones that dad can play too). I was drawn to it rather than the bigger ones as it can be played indoors and the parts are mostly unbreakable, hence even when it crashes at the hand of inexperienced pilot, the craft would come out unscathed. The heli even came with its own rechargeable battery to keep the weight down and to ensure that with even a small dimension it can still fly around. Wonders of technology eh?

It took some time to master the art of flying it, as long as it stays airborne the two of us are contented. Brings back the memories of Airwolf.

Can we fix it, Yes we can!

I took some time off this time off the year to clear all my annual leave and also to run some errands wrt to The Boy's schooling matters, the impending arrival of the bundle of joy and also to do outstanding year end cleaning and repairs around the house. Of all those, the one that I dread was calling up a plumber to have a look at a slow flowing wash basin that has been there all the while but never get around to fix it.

You see, plumbers are a different breed than the rest of us. They are in their own world and one thing for sure they will make every job look and sound impossible to do without the help of someone from UTK & some C4. The thing with modern day plumbing is that most of it are concealed into the walls, with only bits accessible. I have looked at it one day thinking I culd DIY but then decided that its best for professionals to have a look at it and bracing myself for the day.

As we know, the white van trade has the most lucrative payrate irregardless the location worldwide. The chap came and looked and starts with, " Bang, this one kena kasi jolok sikit, kasi clear itu sumbat dulu. For that I need to charge you RMXXX. Kalau tak boleh, then kena potong itu paip and kasi tengok apa barang ada dalam. That will cost you a further RMXXX."

I said fine, but managed to bring down the price after some haggling. Hey, thats part of the culture here right? They'll quote you something then you try to reduce with some haggling and at least tried to get some discount off. For one, they know that you mean business and the other reason is that the significant other will see that you seem to be in charge of the situation and you got it under control and that will score you some brownie points.

After some time, he came back to me saying that there was something lodged in the pipes that he can't removed even after cutting the pipes. "Bang, itu lantai mau kena hack, potong itu pipe, kasi keluar itu barang, pasang baru punye pipe, tampal balik itu lubang and siling baru, That will cost you a further RMXXX" I said," Every costing that came out of you seems to be RMXXX? Did your teacher taught you until that amount so that it'll be easy for you to count or is it a prerequisite of being a plumber to quote the magic number of RMXXX?"

After some more haggling, we reached a figure that was agreeable by both parties but then he said that he needed to go and buy some stuff and have his lunch break. His buddies would come around after lunch break to finish up the jobs. Typical, do a halfway job, then cite that you need a coffee/tea/lunch/smoke* (*choose which ever applicable) break and get somebody else to finish up. To cut the long story short, off he went for his break and his buddies came back to finish the job. Where is the true and honest Bob-the-Builder when you need him. " Can we fix it, yes we can with RMXXX!"

In the end, the Mrs got what she wanted, which is a fully functional* (it was functioning before, only the dv/dt of the flow was a little off to according to her charts, love you dear, mwahhh!), the plumber got his dues and me, a burning hole in my wallet. RMXXX, that's the figure I'll teach my offsprings to quote for duit raya/birthday gifts/angpows etc. to patch the hole back.

The day I got itchy hands....

Probably I was watching too much Spooks and got carried away with it, so today whilst attending a telephone call, I decided for no unbeknown reason to emulate a lock picking scene with some paper clips. As luck would have it, the paper clip broke in the keyhole, leaving me with one unlockable set of drawers. Grrrr...

Then when I got home, my son has taken delivery of a set of Gundam action figures which require self assembly. He managed to assemble most of the robot himself, and was waiting for me to finish it. Upon seeing the instruction which was written in full Japanese but has some pictures as a guide, I was impressed with his effort. As I was trying to figure out how to assemble it, I managed to snap off a small part which had to be superglued back on. Double grrrr.....


ps. We did an 'Honest Abe' today. I mean the mrs did it. We realised that an establishment that we had lunch on last Saturday not charged us for a dish hence we made a trip back and corrected it. Hopefully the big guy would chalk it up as one good deed.

pps- Welcome Aqeef Nuqman to the Shamuri Clan on 1702 24 December 2007. Pictures would follow suit.

A Twist At The End

Haven't been updating this blog for a while due to some unforeseen circumstances with a twist that had happened. It had us in shock in a while, but as the saying goes, when the going gets tough the tough gets going. One thing for sure is that it will take us a while to give full trust to anybody outside our circle of trust.

Chance / Community Chest ?

In line with the monopoly theme, I have gotten a phone call today that could have been classified as Chance / Community Chest. It goes something like this :

Caller : Who's this?
Me : I dunno, who is it that you're looking for?
Caller : Oh, this is Z**a from E*A, did you enter our contest the other day?
Me : Yeah, but I didn't get any notification so I assume that my entry did not go through.
Caller : It did, & you have won 4 pass to see I Am Legend at G*C M*M.
Me : Oh, thank you.

This is like the third official win for me from E*A. It was unofficially 4 times but they decided not to accept me as I have won before. Normally I would be jumping in joy with the win, but I have decided not to attend but to give it out to a friend who could utilise them better. The only drawback is that the winner has to collect the tickets in person, so I still have to go there to collect it for him. Enjoy the show, I*am & way go go my trusted Treo!

Board Games

Image from here

Remember once that the word games means physical activities? It is either spent outdoors or indoors but it always involve physical exertion such as running, climbing, jumping and etc. Not like today where the term game means sitting in front of the telly with hands permanently glued to the controller of a video game console.

Bought a Malaysian Edition Monopoly for the boy last weekend. Ever since that he'd been bugging me on playing it with him. So far, we had one quick game and another extended game, in which he manages to procure the most prime location of real estate and actually built houses on it. The intention us buying the game was actually to teach him the concept of money but the way he's playing the game is like a duck to water. While the adults are busy buying all the plots that we landed on, he coolly waited until he could get a suitable plot and develop it. And in those prime areas, the return are so much better, hence he's raking it in. Could he be the next Trump in the making?

Deciphered!

Now I understand why so much work was poured into encryption and the same amount spent to break any encryption. The sense that you have if you could use coded words and left everyone else baffled is priceless. But what if someone manages to decipher what you were saying? Then the code is useless and you have to move on to the next encryption technique.

Our 'parental' codes have been deciphered by the boy up to the exact meaning of it. Dayyumm! How could he decipher it so easily? I mean he's just 6. I guess 6 years is a little too long to use the same codes. Now need to learn new ones soon. like Safayafa rafasaya mafacamfa nakfa mafakanfa nafasifa lefamakfa. Or better still, habla espanol or parlez francais?

Completely Incompetent & Bungling fools

Arrrggghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Service with a smile they say! Service beyond expectations! Service that should have left your equipment as good as before or even better! Bah! Humbug!

This is the feeling that I had today. My HRM battery has died on me last week. Hence it was hard for me to keep up with my workout session and I was feeling a bit under the weather plus extra workload(plus giving me the excuse of not doing any). So yesterday as I was out doing some shopping with the family, I decided to get it fixed. Once the deed is done, the watch was as good as new. Or so I thought!

A few laps in the pool today proved otherwise. I was about to time myself ans as I was looking at the watch, all I could see was a pool of water in the display. I was like WADAFAK! It was fine when I took it for swimming before the battery change. Took it off and start to examine the backplate, 3 out of 4 screws are MISSING!!!!! How could it happened? Didn't they checked all the fixing screw should have been in place before returning it to your paying customer after a battery change or else the watch wouldn't be waterproof anymore?

A trip back to shop was called for. The salesgirl recognised me and with the look on my face she knew that it wasn't good news. She explained that her completely incompetent and moron of a colleague didn't screw all the fixing screws yesterday, She only knew about if after he asked what to do with the extra screws? She said she tried to find me after I left the shop but couldn't find me. Call yourself and establishment that deals with fine timepieces and you find extra screws during a basic routine battery change?

I wouldn't know whether they could repair the watch or not as from what I could see it had extra electronics part for the HRM. If they couldn't than I would like to request a new one, equivalent or better replacement. Till then I have to wait till they have a look at it more closely.

Ulterior Motives

I received a phone call today that makes me wonder whats the motive behind the call. You see, I had investigated an incident a few months back, and since I couldn't find anything conclusive I have issued a report with possible causes and not pinpointing into one. The reason being is that I can't say with full conviction that I have found the root cause of the incident. So when the call came in, the caller was basically saying that my report was akin to "paralysis by too much analysis" and wanted me to at least identify one root cause that would indemnify a vendor.

What happened was that the caller is the head of another department who have slapped a vendor on the wrist and would like to use my report as means of further punishment. Hence he kept pushing me to select at least a reason so that my report could have been used against the vendor. I felt that they had an ulterior motive as dishing out punitive reports wasn't in my scope of work. They wanted to impose a sort of punishment but wanted to be seen as it was not by them.

Macam mana ni? Baling batu sembunyi tangan? I personally won't do up a report that I have no strong conviction in it. I have to talk it out with my immediate supervisor about this and see what he's going to say. I really hate the feeling that I'm being a pawn in someone else's chess game.

Timely updates

Been held with a lot of work for the past week, not including unplanned site inspection due to equipment failure. The week has been hectic to me but I have to wrap everything up by Saturday to attend The Boy's School Concert & Graduation.

It's amazing when I asked him where are the concert is going to be held, he just said "Zon Kunci" is where the bus had stopped when they had the rehersal. Bless him for being observant but how in the world could anyone find out where "Zon Kunci' is... ( It's actually a street sign telling that the area is a vehicle clamping zone for indescriminate parking")

The concert was actually held in a Kelana Jaya, but the strange thing is that we we met up with a massive jam trying to enter the concert venue due to the fact that the guards wanted everyone's particular upon entering the place. I was like" WTF? 4-6 y.o. can run amok and steal stuff from ther? C'mon, we're going there for a kindy concert people!" In the end, they relented and let everyone in without taking down my grandmother's middle maiden name, or they could have ran out of visitors passes.

We enjoyed the concert very much, seeing kids conquering their fear and let themself loose on the stage in front of a big audience. Granted some did had stage fright and a few were reduced to tears on stage, but on overall their good spirit to perform prevails.

Rock & Roll Baybeh!

Look Ma! I've Graduated

Everybody knows me bcoz I'm the famous rock & roll star!

Kudos to the teacher for their patience in teaching the kids all the moves and dances. You could hear most of them counting "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8" when doing their moves or eyes on the floor searching for their markers, but the event hadf me bursting at the stitches, laughing my head off seeing the kids in their element.

Well, the next one we will be attending this sort of do would be in another 4 years time!

If you think you could, you would

After last week's run, I decided to push the envelope a bit more. I haven't done any distance longer running than 5km, so today I've decided, WTF, I'll might just run 10km to gauge how fit I am. It turned out to be a rather long run, wait, make it run/walk/run/walk. I finished the course in 1:17, which is miserable by any standards even for a first try. But as long as I am still standing after it, I guess I could just improve upon it.

Also had another go at the pool today, just to build up the endurance and guess what, still a lot more improvement can be done there. So hopefully with these baby steps, I could see more substantial improvement in the future.

ps. also hope that the 10km run would atone my sins of having satay 4 days in a row due to open houses, not forgetting nasi beriyani, nasi mandie, nasi minyak, char kuey teow and the list goes on...

Terry Fox Run 2007

Wohoo! We did it. I mean The Boy & Me did it. We ran the course and crossed the finishing line. We were there by 7.45 am but couldn't find parking near the drop off area, so we had to park at the Bird park and made our way to the start line.

At home before leaving

Cheeky pose - full moon?

Before the run - still can smile

Belly dancing warm-up - shake it, shake it ....

There were two sessions of warm-up, one by Fitness First, the other by these ladies doing belly dancing. You can guess which one received the most participation, hehe ...

Terry Fox Run Route

During the run

The guy in the orange cap took a short cut - loads of people behind us

The route started off with a hill ascend, which most of the participants was walking calmly as the starting horn has sounded. We walked for a bit until it was clear to run, and I asked the boy to set the pace. In case if he was tired, then he can walk albeit at a fast pace. I was surprised that he can clear the hilly bits of the course until we came to the Bird park area. Then the route was mostly downhill, so it didn't pose much problem to us.

He managed to run for about another km or so before we started to walk. And then the inevitable happened... he asked for a dukung (carry), which I obliged for about 500 m. Imagine me with a backpack on my front and a kid on my back... endurance training galore..

When we saw the finishing line, and the boy decided to run and finish the race, which is about 800m away. Congratulations son, you made it. Next year it will be the four of us (hopefully).

I'm a finisher !!!!!


Penat! Penat! Aiman lapar ni ...

After race treat - free cotton candy !!

ps. went to the donut place as the mrs. is having craving for it - We were there by 11 am, and there's about a 30 mins wait line already formed. By the time we got to order, the favs are all gone, but there are other just as good...total time spent in line & waiting for order 1 hour 10 mins, which reminded me, never again on weekends...

Possible new addiction?

What would you do if you saw a line of people queuing up at a donut outlet during weekdays? Some of you wold find it weird for people to be queuing up for donuts right? Well not me and not for these ....

Click on picture

hehe... was in the vicinity and saw the queue and decided, What the heck, just join the line and see what's the rave is all about.. Just imagine, there's about a 10 minutes wait in line during workdays and most of the donuts that they have are being replenished, so you might not be able to get what you wanted unless you wait some more.

The verdict? Soft and light dough, with choices of toppings and fillings. Sure fire way to add a few inches to the waistline. So after queuing up for this, better make a line to your gym....

Turning 33

I've joined the repeating number club this year. The next one would be 10 years from now. So how does it feels to celebrate your 33th birthday? I felt that it was no better than the previous one and just hope to survive the next one.

For my birthday dinner treat, I have decided on Pizza Uno, having loads of great reviews from bloggers and forumers alike. A quick check on the internet for contact number and hey presto, I found out that they have recently open a new branch in Bandar Puteri Puchong. Surely that's a sign. Called up to make a reservation for a three person dinner party.

Finding the place is quite easy as its near my house, but finding an available parking space during prime dining time is another story. The decor was cozy and the setting provided just the right ambience for dining.

Dinner companions

Getting a big, wet one !

It's so good that I wouldn't want to share

The ice chocolate was NICE! A glassful of chilled milk with good serving of chocolate syrup, and a dollop of vanilla ice cream. It was so good that the boy wouldn't want to share it with us.

Appetiser - Crostini platter

Spagetthi marinara - Notice those big prawns? Yummy !

Primavera with prawns - fetuccini

Lemon Pana Cotta - complimentary from the house

Me scraping upto the last morsel of dessert - It was that good!

The portions of serving was more than enough for our Asian serving, and left uf full to the brim until the next thing that came to my mind is o sleep it off. By he way, no regrets about trying out this place, & since its near our place, would might be the next favorite to go for some good food.

The third eye

I for one believed that there are other 'beings' to co-exits with us humans, the ones that we could not see with our normal vision. But others have been 'blessed' (or cursed) with the ability to see the inexplicable beings. In adults it would be a very rare ability to have, but in children they seems to have been to detect the other beings presence easily.

Why broach this subject? Am I gonna be a volunteer on Seekers? Trying to film it on tape?

Nope, not close. The thing is that I believe during the weekend I have noticed two persons who might have experienced it. One is at a gathering when an acquaintance was talking then he suddenly quites down, eyes fixed on a spot and seem to be like 'out of this world'. He snapped out of it a few seconds later continue talking, albeit at a slower pace. He wouldn't want to disclose anything but I suspect that he saw 'something' but wouldn't want to disclose it maybe he doesn't want to alarm the host or the guests. I have talked to him before and he claimed to have experienced these things before, so I believed that he must have witnessed something.

The other incident was from my nephew, as he was having dinner at my house, he commented 'Banyaknya orang kat kipas Uncle Long tu." I asked him about it, "Adam nampak orang kat kipas tu ke?" He replied, " Adam nampak ramai orang kat kipas tu.." the adults at the table suddenly went quiet. We didn't want to pursue the subject any further, but I felt that he must have been telling the truth but the thing is that he is not alarmed about the sighting, continued eating his dinner.

Personally, I haven't experienced any sightings myself (and wouldn't want to) but have experienced some 'presence' previously, so I believe that these things truly exits.

All set & ready to go

Running Shoes - checked

Run T - shirts - checked

Run partner - checked (betul ke partner, nanti halway minta dokong camne?)

Fitness to run - dunno, maybe gained kgs after raya

What am I blabbering about ?

Check this out. Terry Fox Run KL 2007 .

For those who wants to help for cancer research, just register urself for the run. Venue and details on the link above.

C'mon guys, it's for a good cause plus you'll be getting some cardiovascular exercise. Plus gives you an excuse to get some rubdown from your nearest and dearest due to 'aches' from the run. Hehe...

Kampungmu ke kampungku?

Bestnya raya kat kampung ni ... Balik Kampung..

Ever since we got married, my mrs. & I have made arrangement for Eid, one year it would be on my side and another year it would be on her side. The arrangement has worked fine since, so this year we celebrated Eid in Pekan.

As I grow older & wiser (doesn't feel like it), I noticed that the Eid celebration feeling has lost some of its luster. As a kid, I would wait impatiently for raya coz that would be the time for collecting duit raya, trying on new clothes bought during Ramadhan, eating all the raya dishes and playing fireworks but as an adult the feeling is reversed as I am the one who's going to fork out the duit raya, buying the clothes and the preparation for it.

But wherever Eid is celebrated, the traditional dishes (Malaysian) would be similar albeit different tasting. For example, at my mrs.'s place, they are having ketupat but at my mum's, we'll be having lontong (this is the pure bona fide Javanese lontong) but the rest would be the same, rendang either beef or chicken, masak lodeh and sambal kacang.

Here's one I made earlier
( bangga tu dapat buat at least satu after 3 tries )

Lontong daun pisang & kuih lopes - hmm...food
( wonder how to shed those weight after indulging into these? )

Apart from the food differences, the environment is also different. At my mrs. her house would be the focal point of gathering as her grandmother is still around, but at my place we would go around to the elder relations during the first day.

But all in all, the spirit of Eid is still abound, irregardless of our geographical location as witnessed when celebrating here in Malaysia or even when I was abroad.

Eid Mubarak everyone.

Eid Mubarak

[ Image from here ]

First and foremost, I would like to wish all Muslims around the world Eid Mubarak. To those who sent us their greetings by card/emails/sms, we would like to wish the same to you back. Have a wonderful Eid, and those traveling have a safe journey.

Selamat Hari Raya
Maaf Zahir Batin

That's It... no escape for me anymore

The esc button on my laptop has fallen off today. Come to think about it, this is the second time that this laptop needs attention. The first time was to have the LCD changed after three months due to flickering images ... before any of you guys have any ideas...it's not porn ok... well... not most of the time...

Anyway, saw on telly the angkasawan launch just now. I gonna bet that there will be sleepless nights for some people on earth, probably dreaming of being mrs. angkasawan... hehe ... of a good chance of being datin angkasawan ...

Towards the end of Ramadhan

Pergh...now bila dah dekat nak hujung-hujung bulan puasa ni, makin tak lalu pulak nak sahur dan buka. Even the pasar ramadhan sellers have been dwindling noticeably as Eid is just around the corner. May I have the strength to finish this.....

Last Song Syndrome

Most of us have gotten the feeling before, the song that will be playing in our head would most likely comes from the last song that we heard, either in the car or the one on your portable music player. The same thing happened to me today, where this particular festive song has been playing on my cd player since 7 am nonstop-with-encores courtesy of The Boy.

Sudirman - Balik Kampung

Perjalanan jauh tak ku rasa
Kerna hati ku melonjak sama
Ingin berjumpa sanak saudara
Yang selalu bermain di mata

Nun menghijau gunung ladang dan rimba
Langit nan tinggi bertambah birunya
Deru angin turut sama berlagu
Semuanya bagaikan turut gembira

Balik kampung oh oh...( 3X )
Hati girang
Ho ho... Balik kampung (3X)
Hati girang

Terbayang wajah-wajah yang ku sayang
Satu-satu tersemat di kalbu
Pasti terubat rindu di hati
Menyambut kepulangan ku nanti
Perjalanan jauh tak ku rasa
Kerna hati ku melonjak sama
Ingin berjumpa sanak saudara
Yang selalu bermain di mata

Nun menghijau gunung ladang dan rimba
Langit nan tinggi bertambah birunya
Deru angin turut sama berlagu
Semuanya bagaikan turut gembira

Balik kampung oh oh...( 3X )
Hati girang
Ho ho... Balik kampung (3X)
Hati girang

Terbayang wajah-wajah yang ku sayang
Satu-satu tersemat di kalbu
Pasti terubat rindu di hati

Menyambut kepulangan ku nanti

Mechanical Failure week

Got a bit of a withdrawal symptom now. My 'equipment of torture' as been rendered unusable and the technical support cavalry will come and look into it tomorrow. Man, this is the second time in about six months into the ownership that it given me problems. Gonna wait for what's the verdict tomorrow, if it's the same one as the previous one, I'll consider writing in to them for a change. I mean, it's either design flaw or shortcoming in material used for the same fault to recur again.

On that note, a few of my toys are also out of service and to top that off, my car had a flat. So the old adage does come true, when it rains it pours. Just like the Japan F1 at Fuji today.

ps.. someone had a craving for a classic ploughman sandwich, hehe ... also for a pure, unsweetened ice blended watermelon juice....all home made, mind you...

SMS Our Angkasawan

I saw the headline today and it got me thinking, is it going to be like the popular 'reality-tv' show where they put up the 2 competing astronauts and decide to leave the election process to the masses instead of professional space trained personnel. Only after reading it I saw that this was a ploy for the monopoly satellite broadcaster way of milking extra moolah out of their customer.

But, lets say in Bizzaro world and this do comes true, then I think our "Raja SMS" ould surely beat all other contestant hands down. Some people just worship the ground he walked on and would blindly sms their vote to him.

As for me, the money spent on this angkasawan thingy could have been better utilized. Granted that it was part payment of our export, but so much could have been done with it. But that was just me.

ps. I know of at least one person who would SMS the angkasawan... hehe ... you know who you are ....

State of Indefference

Have we turned into a nation of apathy? How many reports in the news hat we have heard about people who needs help in the middle of a crowd but none of them actually lend a helping hand? We would crowd and slowed upon an accident or even a snatch case but none of us would actually administer first aid or even calling the emergency services.

I had similar encounters before, the latest last weekend. I was window shopping when among the crowd of people when I heard "Tangkap, tangkap!" and saw a man with a helmet being chased by another guy. Nobody even bother to stop the guy until a good samaritan just held the man running away and threw him against the wall and pinned him before the one chasing him caught up and whisked him away. The crowd that has parted suddenly gather around to watch the drama.

If I were closer to the guy running away, I would also be in the position of not knowing what to do. But I wasn't anywhere around him and fall into the 'guilty' category. Now, where are Spiderman when you need him eh?

So Proud Of You Son!

Aiman did something that I thought he could do today. Something that everyone at home tought that he did not have the endurance to do. After a few days of puasa setengah hari, he finally did manage to finish the whole day today. One whole day!!! OK, we had to give in to a lot of his demands just for him to continue with his fasting, but in the end he kept his word.

We're so proud of you son!

Glorified Coffee/Copy Boy

Due to my company's new policy, certain type of meetings especially dealing with tenders, the job that used to be run by us the menial boys are officially delegated to the upper echelon of the management but get this, the paperwork is still done by us.

So in order not to violate this, our presence in the meeting is not minuted and if anyone asked, we are there to do the coffees and happened to be subject matter expert in the area of discussion. Oh and due to Ramadhan, the term can be interchangeable with copy. So we were asked to commit our presence and time, but could not officially appear in any documentation. So its like a loop hole.



ps.

Alfatihah to a colleague who lost a daughter yesterday and also to Nurin Jazlin Jazimin.

Shakedown on the 1st Day of Ramadhan

First day of Ramadhan & I felt my body shaking at 7.50 am today. In my mind, "Eh, first day of puasa, not even yet 4 hours into it I have suffered from low blood sugar?"

Turns out to be the tremors from the afterquake that hit Sumatra earlier during the night. Now I really felt the earth moving under my feet. The next questin is going to be, was it as good for you as it was for me? ;-) -

Ramadhan Mubarak

Selamat menyambut kedatangan bulan Ramadhan kepada Muslimin & Muslimah dimana sahaja anda berada. Semoga amalan kita diterimaNya.

CNN...this blog is not...

Sometimes I might get stumped on what to write,
Thinking about it day and night,
Sometimes I can't find anything interesting to share,
As I can't seem to find any ideas anywhere.

Sometimes my life is just plodding along,
Shades of gray between what's right or wrong,
Sometimes I can just be a bore,
And at times I wanted to be much more.

So if you thinking of finding updates after updates, all done in a timely manner, then you would be better off, searching for it elsewhere...

Signs that you have arrived...or not...

Was going through my mails and through the sea of bills and spam there was one surprise : an RSVP to test drive a brand new 2007 E90 BMW 5 series. I turned the envelope front and back just to see whether they've sent it to the right person. Did they know something that I don't? Like I'm due for some windfall in the near future that I would even consider trading up to it. Or maybe they've found some money that someone with similar name as me have stashed away. But this wasn't the first time that they sent it to me. The first one was to test drive the new X5.

Why does the 3 pointed star never sent me a invite for test drive? Granted that I'm driving a 9 y.o. model, but the way the propeller signs are working their marketing, time for a change? The dark force is strong on this one....

The Long Weekend

First and Foremost,

Selamat Menyambut Hari kemerdekaan yang ke 50, Malaysia!

Went back to kampung on Merdeka day, been about 4 months since we were last back. The drive east was uneventful, not a lot of traffic or any hidden policeman trying to catch you in the act of exceeding the speed limit. Got there around 5pm, sempat singgah pekan sari lagi for fixes that couldn't be found in KL.

The boy was excited and when we got there, straightaway he wanted to get on his bike, (yes, we brought his bike back due to his request).

The next day they're were having some kenduri for one of the mrs. cousins who's getting engaged and the order of the day was to slaughter 7 chickens. These were not the run-off-the-mill poultry, these are the free range (ayam kampung) of the Isreali breed, means that they're easily 1.5X bigger than the local variety. Me had the task of holding them still for the slaughter and the cleaning afterwards and I would say that this went better than my last venture. I looked like the butcher of Pekan after it ended. Sorry folks, no pics as wouldn't want to upset PETA or something, suffice to say that cleaning them up by the river was a new experience to me.

Also in season was rambutans and the dragon fruits (white variety). Had loads of them and managed to whisked some home. Those homegrown dragon fruits are much more nicer & sweeter than store bought ones...now thinking of ways to grow my own ..

Being back in kampung did provide me with some sort of break from my normal routine ( meaning that I could sleep & eat & sleep to my content without the mrs. bising-bising...hehe) also being away from the hustle and bustle of the city ...

Next schedule back is during the Eid ....

Of Premium & Ordinary

How many of us are normally suckered into the word special - special offer, mee goreng special, burger special, special treatment - anything for them to get us into forking some premium over the ordinary stuff. I mean, a normal burger is RM2.00 but a special one is additional 50 cents.

For me, its OK if the premium paid was worth the difference, I mean from a plain old mee goreng, but with some extra ingredient it will transform into finger or fork licking good, so good that you need to have a second helping of a second helping, but what if when you have paid the premium then it taste the same as the 'normal' ones?

That happened to me last weekend. All the usual haunts were closed during dinner, so had to order dinner from the 'premium' diners/cafe in my area. What I meant by premium is that they serve the same food albeit at a higher price, up to double than the normal haunts. Granted that they do have a more posh outlook & premise, but food is food. Its not like we are ordering any cordon blue/fusion cooking, just the old plain dishes but the prices are tremendously high. Its ok if we having it in, but as a takeaway? A bit steep innit?

On another note, my watch battery almost died on me, displaying the 5-second jump since last week. So off to the shop where I bought it from for a battery change. Premium brand watch, premium battery change right? I don't mind paying for it but what got me was that the old battery was already leaking and could cause potential damage to my watch. I mean, for f**k's sake, buy a premium brand put la premium parts in it, not charging your customer and arm and a leg but outsource for the cheapest parts that you could find?

In the end, the bottom line is the profit & loss without the regard of perceived value of service or goods that the customer gets by patronizing or buying the products. Caveat Emptor!

Firework Extravaganza

With the school holidays and nothing planned to keep The Boy occupied, I decided to take him to the Malaysian International Firework Competition in Putrajaya. Set out from our house at 9 pm coz knew that it would be jammed packed with cars, especially when nearing the venue. It's held near PICC and true enough, we just beaten the rush as the traffic flow was quite light but with people stopping at anywhere they fancy, it constricts the traffic flow. The Boy wanted to go in the fun-fair where they had rides, so being a spoiling dad I obliged.

The thing that got me was that you have to pay for entrance at RM5/3 (adult/child) and then have to purchase tokens for rides min 2 tokens/person/ride @ RM 3/token. See how they milk money out of you? Preying on guilt that most parents have for not spending quite enough time with their offspring and have to make up by spending on them....(guilty as charged).

The firework starts at 10pm, with all the lights at the funfair plus the surrounding area being turned off. I didn't manage to get any good shot with my IXUS 55 plus haven't got a decent tripod to prop it. So the photos were taken mostly by The Boy, thinking that he could be a budding photographer in the future.

But managed to get some clip about it, as per below :

Transformer Quiz

Got this from screwboy's blog.

I AM
69%
BUMBLEBEETake the Transformers Quiz

Bumblebee

As an Autobot spy, Bumblebee is the ultimate robot in disguise. What he lacks in size and strength, he makes up for with courage. He enjoys the company of humans and would do anything for his Earthly friends.

Like Bumblebee, you are compassionate and your heart is pure. You want to be a leader and show some promise, but you have much to learn. In addition, you use technology when you need to, but you do not embrace the latest trends.

Feeling a bit melancholic ...

Her green plastic watering can
For her fake chinese rubber plant
In fake plastic earth.
That she bought from a rubber man
In a town full of rubber plants
Just to get rid of itself.
And it wears her out, it wears her out
It wears her out, it wears her out.

She lives with a broken man
A cracked polystyrene man
Who just crumbles and burns.
He used to do surgery
For girls in the eighties
But gravity always wins.
And it wears him out, it wears him out
It wears him out, it wears him out.

She looks like the real thing
She tastes like the real thing
My fake plastic love.
But I cant help the feeling
I could blow through the ceiling
If I just turn and run
And it wears me out, it wears me out
It wears me out, it wears me out.

And if I could be who you wanted
If I could be who you wanted,
All the time, all the time, ohhh... ohh...

How about this for a change

I have been wanting to post about the issue brought by the petrol station operator association with regards to the opening time of their petrol kiosk but somehow couldn't find the time to do it.

What I would propose is something similar to the above picture, where I saw during the course on my travels. The above petrol kiosk has no cashier or the usual shop, all the transaction was done through credit / debit card at the pump. No pump attendant, no issue about security, lower operating costs. Just four pumps, a forecourt and 24 hours operation. How about that for a change?

True, not all have access to credit cards, but in urban areas I would think most of us have at least one. With somewhat aggressive recruiting campaign that some credit card companies are employing, most of us would safely have at least one credit card in our name. Hence the solution could be given consideration.

One Doggy To Go

Had been ordering the same menu as the place where I always stop by for dinner up to the point that they know it by heart. But that wasn't the thing that caught me, it was the way that the order was relayed to the kitchen, ".. and plus one doggy to go.."

In my not so 'clean' mind and because the order comes from a girl, it sounded so nudge, nudge, wink, wink...hehe...maybe it was just me.... maybe this is what she meant ...

[ Image from here ]

As useful as a chocolate teapot

That's what I felt today. Didn't manage to get a sound sleep, what with the temperature & my car alarm blaring away very half an hour in the wee hours of the morning. Went to see the GP, being prescribed rest to let me recuperate.

The boy was not feeling well in school so I had to pick him up, not after he shot his class photos. Then off to the gynae for a checkup, and the baby is developing well. We could see a pronounced set of limbs now, and from the look of it he/she (hopefully its a girl) is going to be a lanky one.

After getting back from the checkup, fatigue sets in and I slept, and said something that I shouldn't...I'm sorry about it......

Should be better tomorrow & functioning as I should....

My Simpsons Avatar

Ada macam tak?

Temperatures Rising

I knew that it was coming, the impending signs are there, stiff joints and pains, raising core temperature, stuffy nose tract & eyes. So time to starve a fever, feed a cold?

That wasn't the only contributing factor to my rising temperature. On the way back today, near a petrol kiosk at my place, the left lanes were clear, indicators to turn left into the petrol kiosk on, rear view mirror clear, side mirror clear, initiating maneuver only to hear metal on metal crunching sound. Apparently a di*khead motorcyclist decides to swerve onto my left from my right despite me giving indication that I'm turning left. Now I'm left with a dent on the rear passenger door. His defense, none cause it was clear he was in the fault as witness by most. He meekly said that it was a small dent and he was hurt in the process. Serves you right, PDD 68 and what goes around comes around.

This is the second time this year I was hit by a motorcyclist. I don't want it to escalate into the third time, where it could inflict more injury to the rider. Loss of life is not something I would wish for, but at the moment of heat and anger, it was the only thing that seems to flow out of my mind. Rant over, calm under medication.....

Thinning Crowning Glory

During a weeding reception, had some remarks wrt to the condition of my thinning hair, from close relations. Usual reasons cited, stress at work, exposure to swimming & chlorine, etc... until someone pointed out that I've been swimming in the wrong gene pool.

Ouch...yela mana nak tumpah kuah kalau tak ke nasi....but my brothers did not show any signs of thinning pulak. Seems to me that they got the lucky draw on that as for me, I'm grateful with what I have, thinning & all.

Now where did I threw away the Yun Nam leaflet? ....

ps. One another note, I would like to clear the air about longan & mata kucing, as per highlighted here.

Blast from the past

Supergrass - Alright



We are young, we run green,
Keep our teeth, nice and clean,
See our friends, see the sights, feel alright,
We wake up, we go out, smoke a fag,
Put it out, see our friends,
See the sights, feel alright,

Are we like you?
I can't be sure,
Of the scene, as she turns,
We are strange in our worlds,

But we are young, we get by,
Can't go mad, ain't got time,
Sleep around, if we like,
But we're alright,
Got some cash, bought some wheels,
Took it out, 'cross the fields,
Lost control, hit a wall,
But we're alright,

Are we like you,
I can't be sure,
Of the scene, as she turns,
We are strange in our worlds,

But we are young, we run green,
Keep our teeth, nice and clean,
See our friends, see the sights, feel alright,

Are we like you,
I can't be sure,
Of the scene, as she turns,
We are strange in our world,

But we are young, we run green,
Keep our teeth, nice and clean,
See our friends, see the sights, feel alright.

Complete & Wholesome Again

The instrument of torture is complete & wholesome again! Wohoooo!!!! I'm also breaking in my new rubber/syiok absorption device...can't go the whole distance yet, 1/2 the distance with the same intensity for the first few sessions should do it.

After that, winding down with a pipping cup of Earl Grey, a pot of yogurt with JLH on the telly rounds up my day....

Why am I always hungry ?

Why am I always hungry? Why am I always hungry? Why am I always hungry? Why am I always hungry? Why am I always hungry? Why am I always hungry? Why am I always hungry? Why am I always hungry? Why am I always hungry? Why am I always hungry? Why am I always hungry?

It's not that I'm controlling my food intake gila-gila. In fact I've relaxed a bit about what I eat due the mrs. pregnancy. What I'm experiencing now is like whenever mealtimes are near, I MUST have food as soon as possible. When I'm full, I would get hunger pangs about an hour after mealtime. Then I need to have something again. Its like 'sympathetic' pregnancy syndrome but in reverse whereas The Mrs has lost her appetite and it went to me.

The Mrs. & The Boy told me that it looks like I've gained weight. But the weighing scale & measuring tape says otherwise. Could it all be only in my head? Hmmm...all I could think of now is food....glorious food...nothing but food...no wonder I'm always hungry...

Just Open Up & Say Ahhhh......

Sent The Boy for his dental checkup today. Never have I seen someone so enthusiastic to go to the dentist. In my case, I would conveniently forget about the appointment, even trying to hoodwink my parents. Not in this case. In fact, he was the one reminding me to take him to the dentist, " Dad, today's Saturday and you said that you are taking me to the dentist today dad"

So off we went to the dentist...he was not afraid or trying to talk his way out of it. In fact when our turn came, he walked and get on the chair willingly. I used to get my dad to promise me something after the trips like new toy or KFC, but he actually went on the chair on his own will....so unlike me or The Mrs....

So all he needs now is proper brushing to combat the caries formed, and if he feels that it hurts then another visit to the dentist is called for.

Happy 61st Birthday Dad!

The birthday boy & spouse with three masked partygoers - anak2 sape ni?

As usual, orang lain punya cake tapi orang lain yang tiup lilin....basah kek tu jadinye

My dad celebrated his 61st birthday on Tuesday. So we had a gathering for the family around my parents to celebrate the occasion. I got a cake for them, by that I meant that I paid for it. It was chosen by The Boy, based on aesthetics purely but apparently it turned out to be quite good.
Next time around there would be 5 candle blowers instead of the 3, lagilah havoc nanti....

Happy Birthday Abah!

Instrument of Torture

Imagine of loving and hating something at the same time. Its like :

• Thinking and planning for the session but not able to execute the whole plan
• Not able to be together yet unbearable to be apart
• Apprehension to meet but hating to leave
• Sessions that was tiring but leaving you like a million dollars afterwards
• Sweat dripping all over your body but felt re-energised after it
• Sessions that felt good but have to practice self restraint to prevent overexertion
• Pushing yourself to the limit but have to keep some reserve

Arghhhh…even thinking about it is killing me but due to the circumstances I would have to let it go…at least for the time being….it was ripped apart and parts of it taken away. ….Hopefully it can be better soon coz I kinda having withdrawal symptoms at the moment….oh how I miss those sessions…….

Decision Made

I've been looking for a portable MP3/MP4 player for a while. With so many choices in the market, although I have surveyed and asked around I can't still make up my mind about the kind of player that would suit my needs.

My requirements are :

• small enough to take with me for my running sessions
• could fit my (meagre) MP3 collections
• If possible the memory could be upgraded as I wouldn't want to be stuck with an obsolete product 6 months down the road
• has a 'cool' form factor
  

After searching high & low, I've decided that I would go for an MP4 player rather than an MP3 player just for the fact that I can actually play MP4 on it. I know that it would come in handy when traveling as trying watching it on my Treo would draw a reprimand from the stewardess although the phone is off.

Today I decided to goMP4 player hunting again and then stumbled upon this model. They didn't have one in black, which would be my preference hence I settle for the one in chrome. Granted that it's not branded ala IPOD, but at a fraction of the price, I couldn't care less. Itstill meets ny requirements.

Side by side comparison with Nokia 5330 & Treo 650

So please do not disturb me in the time being whilst I get intimate with my new toy...hehe

Loss of a Confidante

Imagine losing someone who made you feel at ease, never judge at what you do irregardless what you have done or thinking of doing, partner in crime, one you can trust and a confidante. Someone you trust with your life and vice versa. Someone who really knows what you thinking and understand you really well.

Well, I kinda lost someone in that category yesterday. It felt like losing a part of you and the worst part of it is that I don't know when the full impact is going to hit. Now I'm having sort of a withdrawal symptom. No more late night session, skiving & conference chatting thru IM ( maybe ni bleh lagi even though got time difference ) & phone calls & sms at ungodly hours.

To you-know-who-you-are (acheh, macam cite Harry Potter plak), good luck in your future undertaking and thanks for the companionship & experience together, something that I will cherish forever.

Well Laid Plans

Even the best laid and thought after plans could go pear shape due to Murphy's Law. I went on a business trip down south today and have arranged a designated driver for the mrs to get home from work. Plus Jools would be leaving this Friday so we have arranged to paint the town red tonite.

First thing in the morning, I was minding my way down the highway approaching a stretch under road widening project when I saw a figure hunched in the median. Thinking that it was some worker, I didn't slow down until I passed the figure only to realise that it was a speed trap. Smile, you're on my speed camera!

Whilst attending business, received call from the mrs. saying that she's not feeling well and need to have a lie down. Tried calling the designated driver for a change in pick up time, but to no avail. So her colleagues was kind enough to send her home. I managed to wrap up and speed back home.

About half an hour into the journey back up, some kind soul pointed out that something is wrong with my front driver's side tire. I pulled over to check it out and true enough, there was a puncture. Drove on a bit because I don't want to be swiped by an approaching vehicle whilst changing the tyre, I manage to find a layby. The changing of tyre wasn't that hard that I think I can auditioned for a pit crew in F1 next season only to find out that the spare is also flat. Fair enough, serves me right for not checking these out earlier.

Luck was still on my side since I saw there's a R&R with a petrol station about 2 km away. Driving slowly on the emergency lane I manage to reach the petrol kiosk and headed straight to the air & water pump. After setting the required pressure and reaching for the hose, I expected that the tyre would inflate with the familiar ting, ting, ting sound ...BUT it was quiet as a mouse. The pressure gauge did move but I didn't notice any air actually being pumped in...ARGHHHH!!!

Went to the counter and was told to follow some sequence since it was a digital gauge but I still couldn't get it to work. There I was, a grown man so close to tears, just wondering when lightning would come down & strike me to get me out of misery. Then I found out that the compressed air valve was in the off position. A quick turn of the valve sends a blast of air through the hose and boy was I grateful. I quickly inflated all the tyres to the right pressure and had a slow-ish drive back.

I was like being suspended in motion on the whole drive back because I was thinking that this only happens in movies. Anything that could go wrong did go wrong for me then but when I ponder it could have been worse. Like having the tyre blew up, or it was raining cats & dogs during it. I reached home exhausted that even the plan with Jools have to be put on hold. Oh well, might as well catch up with my HP7 then...

Reversal of Situation

There's two extremes at home now, one the mrs couldn't stand the sight and smell of food whilst me on the other hand have an insatiable appetite on anything edible. It used to be the other way around though, but with her being gravida, the situation reverses itself.

Perghhh...if this continue then all my effort to reach my optimum weight might be in vain...

On another note, The Boy had started to read Harry Potter 1, The Sorcerer's Stone, now at chapter 3. If I recall correctly, I wasn't reading anything except Gila-Gila at his age. This was brought on by the fact that everyone s reading something at the moment, maybe he wanted to join the club.

Oh well, if this continues we might have to sent him to Hogwart's soon......

Much ado over Potter

Got the book pre-ordered yesterday from one of the retailers who boycotted selling of the books by undercutting hypermarkets (read here). To me, nothing wrong with competition but Malaysians are so used to the protection of the RRP. Even amazon.com is offering it at $17.99, plus shipping would be lesser than Msian RRP.

The mrs. had finished reading it and wanted to be a spoilsport by giving me spoilers..but I have managed to resist...Now that the books is in my hands, I can take my time reading it...my verdict about the last installment of HP? watch this space...

Seminar in the Sky

Well, literally..had a seminar at the KL Tower for 3 days last week. It was rare that a seminar was organised there where as it would be normally held in hotels or our training institute, but the organisers said they got a deal hence the decision to have it there.

But what peeved me off was the traffic to get into/out of central KL at peak time. Imagine of paying toll to bypass the peak hour traffic through our super Smart Tunnel, only to held at the exit by a very green-horn traffic police officer. I think we were better off utilising the traffic lights...

Being held at above 250m above ground it provided a spectacular view of the capital unless it was hazy. To a certain point it proved very *voyeuristic* - you could observe people down below without them realising it...hehe

The view from the seminar room -
they kept the drapes drawn to keep attention locked onto the seminar

Some of the participant who has acrophobia couldn't handle being that high in the sky, but for me I couldn't handle the revolving restaurant. I meant, I've been there a few times before but I felt that the rotation somehow messed with my balancing circuitry as I felt dizzy after lunch. Or maybe it was the overindulgence during lunch...hehe

Gigi Biru II

Ok! I admit it. I have a tendency of misplacing some personal effects once in a while. It doesn't happen to me a lot, but when it happen to a high ticket item, I felt like slapping myself real hard. Especially when it was a gift from loved ones.

So when one day I lost my gigibiru handsfree headset which by the way was a gift from the mrs, I was expecting the worse. I did told her about it and as usual it made me feel guilty.

After about a month of losing it I decided to get another gigibiru handsfree set as I found out that it is not worth a traffic summons if caught using it during driving. After all the research for alternatives, I finally settle on the same model, albeit with different trimmings and furnishing. The thing is that there was some shortcoming in the performance of the previous headset, eg time lag in between making & receiving, losing battery if left in the car in the hot sun, etc, but the familiarity of operation form factor finally tip the scale towards the same model.

I guess that it's true in real life. Humans are creature of habit. For me, when presented with a new option, the old tried & tested way would always being considered as well. Now I need a way to hold on to this new gigibiru set longer than the previous one.

Now Serving ....

1. Mc'D "plain" Beefburger, no relish, no mustard, no pickle, no ketchup
2. No salt fries
3. A&W rootbeer
   

This is the menu of the week. Last week's was beehon soup, without garlic, onion, veggies, just plain soup and an eggdrop. Previously was plain soto with rice cubes. Gone are the days where spicy and full taste food. I did raised a few eyebrows when ordering these food, surely they were thinking, " If he wanted to be so picky aabout his food then better off cooking for himself". But it wasn't for me...

But whatever it is, as long as the food stayed in, not going down the toilet, it should be ok....

Now Listening ....

Umbrella - Rihana

[Jay-Z]
Ahuh Ahuh (Yea Rihanna)
Ahuh Ahuh (Good girl gone bad)
Ahuh Ahuh (Take three... Action)
Ahuh Ahuh

No clouds in my storms
Let it rain, I hydroplane in the bank
Coming down with the Dow Jones
When the clouds come we gone, we Rocafella
We fly higher than weather
And G5’s are better, You know me,
an anticipation, for precipitation. Stacked chips for the rainy day
Jay, Rain Man is back with little Ms. Sunshine
Rihanna where you at?

[Rihanna]
You have my heart
And we'll never be worlds apart
May be in magazines
But you'll still be my star
Baby cause in the dark
You can't see shiny cars
And that's when you need me there
With you I'll always share
Because

[Chorus]
When the sun shines, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

These fancy things, will never come in between
You're part of my entity, here for Infinity
When the war has took it's part
When the world has dealt it's cards
If the hand is hard, together we'll mend your heart
Because

[Chorus]
When the sun shines, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

You can run into my arms
It's okay don't be alarmed
Come into me
There's no distance in between our love
So go on and let the rain pour
I'll be all you need and more
Because

[Chorus]
When the sun shines, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)

It's raining
Ooh baby it's raining
Baby come into me
Come into me
It's raining
Oh baby it's raining

Happy 3X Birthday Dear!

The mrs. celebrated her 3x birthday in full style today...in the hospital, thankfully not in the hospital gown.....she's suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum. Dunno when she'll be cleared for discharge, it has been 3 nights now...

What a year it has been... I've missed the boy's birthday due to my business trip & now we have to celebrate the mrs. birthday in a hospital. Oh well, might as well make the best out of it. Hopefully it will lead to a bundle of joy in pink (crossing fingers) at the start of the new year.