Saturday, July 26, 2008

Services beyond the call of duty


A colleague passed this around one day, apparently it was left on his windshield along with hundreds of others one day. The first time reading it, I was like "ini macam nyer service pun ada ke?" Some of my colleagues commented that they have a catchy tagline and we might need to change our departments into something along the line ...

So to those who :

  • might be needing the services due to circumstances you're in at the moment
  • just curious about the services
  • would want to render your 'services' as well, ala...you know who you are , just ada brani ke? ...
could call the number and see how they could accommodate to your needs and requirements...hehe...sepeat-cepat sebelum Harian Metro got wind of it and decided to do an expose about it...

disclaimers :

  • the writer does not know the authenticity of the claim of the services nor whether it was as a prank, nor has he ever called the numbers up
  • the writer is not in any way related to this, it was passed on by a Tuan Haji, hence the writer has faith in what has been related
  • the alleged place of the distribution of these flyers were in the capital of the state with nine districts/provinces
  • the writer holds no responsibility whatsoever about the consequences of those who called up the numbers after reading about it here...caveat emptor..
  • This is posted as to enlighten us about claims that this services do exists and they are taking it to the next level


Sunday, July 20, 2008

Mari gi menebas..

No, not the 18 holes type of menebas, this is the true sense of menebas... my parents have a kebun up in Behrang, where they planted durians (D24, D144, Emas Johor & Udang Merah), mangosteens, rambutans anak sekolah, cempedak, nangka etc. since 1996. They have been going up there on average of once a fortnight, but this is the first time after so many years that I had been there.

Previously they have engaged some locals to look after it, but after a while when the returns have not been as what they expected, they have terminated the service. Hence the call up for all their children to help out in clearing parts of the kebun.



Port lepak



lama dah x racun ni...berat nak kena tebas...



Calon Peladang Berjaya 2008


Alamak...ni boleh turun saham ni...

Potential axe murderer?



Durians




There's a stream running across the kebun.

Looking back, I could see that most of the trees that I have planted back then have started to produce fruits, but it might be a better yield if we have someone who tended the area frequently. This is due to its locations, where the monkeys have actually harvested the area before we got there. I think wight a few intesive tending session, the kebun could be restored to it full potential.

The hasil : half a basket of mangosteen, some rambutans and one acceptable quality of durian. Maybe the next trip would be more bountiful.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Shooting Wild Life

No, not the Safari Hunting type of shoot. Plus the 'wild animals' are not even remotely wild. It started off on YM, with the excerpts below (or my version of it, nick changed to protect the identities).

selipar : wei bro, ko balik kg x dis w/end? leh join kitorang di shooting wildlife?
kasut : siang ke malam? klu malam nye nak ikut la, x tau la plak sana happening ;-)
selipar : bukan wild-night-life yg mcm tu la... ni d real one ni
selipar : menatang mende yang ada?
kasut : birds, flamingos etc & kerbau...
selipar : tu mana wild tu....

In the end I manage to join selipar for the photo shoot... we started off early in the morning to secure the lighting and places but upon reaching the designated site, it was devoid of any life whatsoever (next time better study the migratory patterns of the bird dulu ok...hehe)

anyway, it the session did not go to waste as there are some sceneries to be captured...


eh...where are the bikini clad girls here?


busut ketam paya




ketam...goreng pun sodap


point to self :- check on the setting before shooting cause I only realised when doing post processing that the pics looked granier due to being set at ISO 1600 ... grrr

Saturday, July 12, 2008

For Sale

Due to expanding waistline & family, I have to let go of one of my cars and get a people mover. We have actually decided on the people mover, only now we have decided which car to let go. With a heavy heart, we have decided to let go of the red car instead of the black one and would be putting it up for sale soon.


A little detail about the car ; Honda City 2004 1.5 iDSI, good fuel economy ad I once did the calculations it came to 13/14 sen/km (that was when petrol was RM 1.92, now 40% more). Comparable to P2 Kelisa.

Mileage : 79k km
Interior : Beige Leather

Comes with standard accessories, eg ABS, dual airbags, CD player, tinted. All service done by Kah Motor.

Point to note, have some dings and scratches as per normal usage ( by the mrs ... " Didn't know how it happened, it wasn't there when I parked the car").

Price : Negotiable

If you or someone you know happen to be on the lookout for a frugal car but without the compromise of the space and comfort, you can consider this car. Just drop me a line before I put it up officially in the classifieds.





Friday, July 11, 2008

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Bored beyond words

This is what you do when you are called for a meeting on Sunday :




Maybe should have taken up physics again, just for the fun of it!

Monday, July 07, 2008

Karate Kid - Green to Blue



Aiman had graduated from green belt to blue in karate. He manage to overcome his pain in his right hand due to being caught in the door a day earlier. Next step...purple, 4 stages of brown and then black...

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Aiman is 7

Happy 7th Birtday to Aiman Hadi.

We were planning a modest do for him, but after recounting the numbers again we come to a conclusion that we could never do a modest do.


Birthday boy monkeying around







Courtesy of Hold-That-Torte


BEN10 cupcakes... no surprise which were snapped off first



Adi oso sibuk blowing candles

A lot more pics opportunity were missed coz we were busy with entertaining the guest, big or small. We would like to thank those who made it and the presents and would like to apologise for any shortcomings during the event.

eg- Uncle, asyik lagu ni je, lagu numehameha tu takde ke... hehe

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Handicap and strokes

Was in a meeting at a different department and when I returned back to my cubicle there was a tube of golf balls left on my table. No notes from who it was from, hence I couldn't thank the person who left it. Upon closer inspection ...



Could it be from one of my kakis who have seen me play? :-0


Today, I was able to join a friendly competition today organised by mybenz.org. This is the second time I joined them. The piece de resistance was a hole-in-one prize of B170, but I managed to drowned the shot...must have been a water seeking ball...Anyway, I managed to return home with a Cleveland Launcher Fairway Wood, a little bit different than the usual toaster/kettle/dvd player/coffee maker prizes that I use to get. At least it was worth the entrance fees but not scoring any brownie points with the mrs as it is of no value to her...may need to brush up a lot more for the LCD TV/double door fridge...hehe


The boy posing with the newly won club.. he thinks its for him...

Thursday, June 26, 2008

On the road again .. part 2


This time it's to Kuala Terenganu. The last I was here, the old airport was still there and the new terminal is still under construction. Now the sight that greets visitor is the all new terminal building. As work was scheduled to be a whole day affair and I was booked on the last flight out from KT, I managed to get sometime to visit the new and controversial Masjid Kristal.

For me it was an unnecessary building as it was situated on an unmanned island, hence making it ineligible to be used during Friday prayers. The makmum that makes up during the prayers were mostly tourists like me. Wish it could be utilised better in the remote part of Terengganu, where development is still wanting.




ps :- got some order of keropok lekor up to the point that I had to check the keropoks in.. but was told that the ones I got was one of the better tasting ones in KT. Thanks guys for taking us to the keropok place. No pix tho as battery ran out

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

On the road again



My work schedule will take me on the road again. I don't mind travelling as it broadens my perspective as well as letting me experience new things but too much travelling could be stressful too. Just got back from a town down south, where its famous for its rail station cafe. Work went over lunch and the guys brought us to one of the town famous railway cafe's. The lunch crowd was there but the service was prompt. The piece de resistance was the toasted/steamed bun with generous fillings of butter and kaya, so much so that we had it for appetizer and dessert.. :-0


What's left of the so many plates of buns


Mee rebus - delicious

After work was done, my golfing partner & I headed towards the local golf course as we had some time to spare. It it a 9 hole walking course and known to the local as the "Commando Course", but we had the help of some local caddies to carry our bags and give us pointers too. Felt like a professional golfer (but it was not reflected on the scorecard). The course was tough with the first two holes got me. After some adjustment then I managed to salvage my score.

Owh, before I forget, my friend had the cheek to ask for a discount on the green fees only to be told that we have to be introduced by a member to enjoy the guest rates. He then asked whether any member would mind to introduce us so that we could get the discount and cited some names from the register book. The clerk actually said that she need some confirmation and proceed to call someone and to our surprise he agreed hence we got the discount! Thank Er*c O*g for the intro, he must be wondering who the hell that he's introducing eh...

Need to get some R&R now, have driven for a total of 380 miles/ 7 hours today, and need to get up early for another trip to the East Coast tomorrow (luckily by flight...)...another day away from the office and home, and the boy's birthday is tomorrow...sigh...



Monday, June 16, 2008

Paris van Java trip

Just returned from a 3d2n trip to Paris van Java, better known as Bandung. Bandung town is supposed to be a retreat for Indonesian especially those from Jakarta as it is set on top of a mountain range, which offers cool and breezy weather. This is apparent when we set foot there, as it looked cloudy and grey like its going to rain but we were assured that it is the norm there especially in the late afternoon. Also Bandung is known as a shoppers haven, with loads of factory outlets and its Pasar Baru.

First stop after checking in the hotel and refilling our stomachs was Pasar Baru. It is a six storey building which offers what most women were looking for, eg kain batik, textile, telekung etc. I think any nusantara women would go gaga in this place. Imagine Pasar Payang in Terengganu or Pasar Siti Khadijah in Kota Baru, then add five more storeys. My aunt was at a loss of words...



Telekung Shop Assistant at Pasar Baru

Decisions...decisions...and after that .. haggle... haggle..bisa diborong satu gedung ni...

We were at Pasar Baru until they closes and god knows how many bags were in the van after it ended. After Pasar Baru, we headed towards Jl Riau to start the shopping at the factory outlets. There were a few outlets there and we started at the Heritage. On the whole, the selection for kids was extremely good with the brands, quality of clothes and most importantly price..in RP or RM...hehe. Once you there, anything above RP60,000 or RM24 is considered expensive as we were spoiled for choice.

For dinner, we stopped at one of the restaurant recommend by Pak Suki, our guide as its near our hotel, Warung Nasi Ampera (masakan Sunda). The taste is almost similar to our cooking, which is better than the last time I went to Yogja, which everything was too sweet for my liking.



Pais Ayam, Sayur Tahu & Cumi Bakar


Gurame Bakar ... enak banget


Impressed by the packaging - takeaway

The next day we went on a trip to the north of Bangdung to Mount Tangkuban Perahu, an active volcano with accessible live craters. The drive up the mountain is about one hour, depending on traffic.


Photos at the edge of the crater


The still active crater- with sulphuric gasses


The other side of the view . . Bandung City


Some of the ole-ole sold at exorbitant prices by persistent sellers

On the way down we passed lots of nurseries and fruit stalls, due to the fertile soil around the ledge of the volcano. It seems that those with green fingers would prosper in this area. Definitely not me.


Look at the size of that and colour


Alpukat or avocados

Lunch was at Sapulidi, a rustic place setup in between paddy fields. They have huts/pondoks amidst the streams and with the cool air, the place was calming & soothing. The only thing that we could do after lunch would be sleeping it off in the pondoks. The menu is a typical Sundanese fare, and quite good too.


One of the huts for lunch


With Pak Suki, our guide.

waiting for the food ...


Adi's enjoying herself


Adi with her travel companion

After lunch, we got into the swing of shopping again, but were hindered by the presence of people, from Jakarta doing their shopping as well. It did not help that it was their school holidays and most of the outlets were jammed packed with people. We went to Rumah Mode, Dago area and sent the kids back to the hotel before going back to the Heritage area for some more shopping.

A point to note is that some of the stuff on sale true rejects or overrun stocks, some of them have dubious origins but good quality, some look like obvious imitations. Managed to get loads for the kids as with brands as Guess, Gap, Next, Oshkosh etc. Not so much for the adults or we have been looking at the wrong places. All in all, an enjoyable trip, maybe worth a repeat, this time the guys would head out golfing whilst the girls shop.