misunderstood

Got it!

2007-03-27T17:35:00.000+08:00

27 Mar 2009 - Today I finally got what I've been looking at for the past 3 years. When I first saw the A4 b7 1.8T, thought it was superb.. but it wasn't in March 2007 that I really checked out the details of the car.. 17 inch alloy rims, tiptronic 'f1' style pedals and bose sound system..phuiyoo... A big improvement from the A4 i bought in 2004.

Insya Allah, will be able to put out this post when the actual date arrives.. For now, will keep on dreaming..

Mau tidur lah...

2007-02-23T21:57:00.000+08:00

Stayed at The Bellagio, beside it is Caesars Palace

Paris? Not quite, ini baru Las Vegas !!

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders cause insomnia at some times of the day and excessive sleepiness at other times of the day. Common circadian rhythm sleep disorders include jet lag and delayed sleep phase syndrome. Jet lag is seen in people who travel through multiple time zones, as the time relative to the rising and falling of the sun no longer coincides with the body's internal concept of it.

Dun think I have a sleeping disorder (yet..) Was all ok from any jet lag till last nite.. Went to bed at around 230 after having a chat with Sue n the kids, but after Dato' called at 430am (not realising the time here in Vegas), cudnt go back to sleep.

Think I finally dozed off around 6..

Tonite went to bed early, hoping to doze off till early morning. Nope, woke up at 1230am. Went down to the marketplace here at the hotel and got myself a frozen macaroni and cheese. Heated it up and (biggest mistake) wa to have a coke with that..

Now i haven't been able to sleep since, at its already 6 am, reckon might as well not sleep, gotta get to the ariport by 11, off to San Francisco..

JD?

2007-02-23T09:46:00.000+08:00

Have I been so out of touch with whats going on in Malaysia politics? Can someone point out who is Jean Danker? Allegedly to be, or already is first Lady of Malaysia? Betul ka?

Morning!

2007-02-18T22:16:00.000+08:00

View from the Loews Lake Las Vegas (from room 6202, hehe)

Have been up since 3am, so thought what the heck, try and get some work done and put up a post.. Arrived at LaS Vegas at 7pm local time last nite, and as we were headed for the hotel, realised that I shud have stayed closer to 'The Strip' as the summit is not till monday and this place is like 3o miles from anything else. Would take me USD 50 just to get back ito the city one way...

So, probably will take a hike later this morning. Have been so out of touch on things, never realised the influx of people into Vegas this weekend as the NBA All Star Game is here today! Was told that I might be able to get tickets on the ground from a pusher at USD 1000! Gila!! Lets see if I can try and get there just for the atmosphere and probably get a souvenir or two...

Forever

2007-02-18T06:44:00.000+08:00

Wow, have not posted in like forever... 3 months to be more accurate, not that have not had the time, probably did not have the will. A lot has been going on over the last 3 months that i rate worthy of sharing with in this blog, have been reading other blogs quite regularly, just have not been up to posting something of my own.

Well, its a new year, lunar new year that is... thought I might as well start here...

Improvement, or is it?

2006-11-04T19:30:00.000+08:00

After a month of traveling, was hoping to take a break for sometime before I go on another wild roadtrip. But as the bosses would have it, I am now on the way to India for a week. Just got to know Thursday evening, rushed to get a visa on Friday (which is a long, long story).. and now on the way. Will be in Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore next week.So no badminton for me then next week :(

Anyway, was supposed to get on the 640 flight, but somehow (though not surprisingly), the flight is now delayed till 815pm. On a good note, the MH staff promptly directed the passengers to the satellite area to get meal vouchers. Dunno if this is new, but its a first for me...

So, if you get delayed on a MH flight, you actually get RM 25 voucher for any restaurant in the terminal area.. So here I am, enjoying my complimentary spaghetti and coke at Sparro's.

Wiesn!

2006-10-06T15:30:00.000+08:00

Go to ride in style, compliments of client..
around wiesn, a time for all

Was in Munich, it was public holiday (not again!) as it was the Unity day (National day), remembering the unification of East and West Germany. So as usual, everyrthing was closed. Good thing one, was Victor (the chauffeur) mentioned that it was also the last day of Wiesn - or we would know it as Oktoberfest.

We know the Oktoberfest as a beer drinking festival, but it is much more than that. History takes us to the 17th century, when there a was marriage between the bavarian prince and erm.. some princess. But like us back home, can't just have one night of celebration, they have two weeks of festivities which would later be known as Wiesn.

So, today was great. People from all over Munich came for the last day. They came with friends and family. Was a rare opportunity for me to see them in traditional Bavarian costumes, which Markus (my chauffeur for day 2) complains that they only wear during Oktoberfest...

Today's Iftar & Sahur

2006-10-04T05:28:00.000+08:00

Today's meal includes:

1. 2 Banana's
2. Cheese sandwich from the flight from Paris
3. Fruit juice
4. Whole meal bread
5. Apricot jam
6. Honey Cashewnuts, bought at Oktoberfest, macam pasar ramadan lak rasa tadi..

Need to keep myself healthy, perjalanan masih jauh...

Ghost put to rest..

2006-10-04T01:47:00.000+08:00

Outside the Lourve
Cik Mona Lisa

Apakah tujuan engkau diciptakan,

Apakah rahsia disebalik potret itu....

Mona Lisa - Wings (Teori Domino 1990)

8 years ago, under and I went to Europe. From our home base in Manchester - or more specifically Meng's house, we set off on a last minute trip to Paris. We went around the usual stuff, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, etc. but so unprepared were we that we didn't know what the Lourve was. We did end at the Lourve, saw a long line at the tickets, and after about 15 mins in line, decided to give it miss. Only later did we know about the Lourve and that the Mona Lisa was there.

So today, I touched down Paris Charles de Gaulle, took a cab to the hotel and made my way to the Lourve. Good thing the line was short, so went straight to the Denon - where the Mona Lisa, just to lay this ghost of 8 years to rest..

Rain, rain, rain..

2006-10-03T11:37:00.000+08:00

United Nations, Geneva

The famous Jet-deau

Was in Geneva over the weekend. Arrived at 9pm Saturday nite. After a long journey, just wanted to go to the hotel and take a shower. As most places were already closed (according to the concierge, which I later found out that there was kebab place open till midnite), just went to my room, took a shower and decided to just eat the egg mayo sandwich I bought at Heathrow for sahur later..

Sunday morning, was really gloomy. As I was only going to be there till noon Monday, was not about to let a little rain stop me. Walked around the lake, to the train station (where I found the kebab). As everything else was closed, read that the UN tour is open Sundays. So, there I went..

Was quite a walk there. As I got there, the rain started pouring heavily. So here I am, jalan-jalan sorang sorang with my little umbrella, socks starting to get wet. Arrived at the UN only to find out that its closed..Seems there was a special event going on.. hmmm, wonder what it was?

Nevertheless, there was a sliver lining to that. As I was about to leave, a taxi pulled over and a familiar looking lady appeared. Not that I knew here, but the appearance just looked sooo from our part of the world. She was from Singapore, and similarly disappointed that the UN was closed. We felt cheated..

So now I had a mate to go around in the rain with. As she had been here a few days now, Sow Ching took me aroud to the old town and as the sun seemed to come up, we decided to go on the Chateu cruise on the lake. As our luck would have it, just as we got on the boat, the rain started pouring again, and boy did it pour. Sow Ching really enjoyed the part where we entered France, albeit just for like 10 mins. Will post some pics on that soon.

So, all in all, despite the rain, the price (my god, the price), the language barrier and with everything practically closed, was quite a fulfillig day. Later went back to the kebab place to get my iftar meal, headed back to the hotel and spent the rest of the evening blow drying my shoes, jeans and socks..

Tommorow, to Paris!

Target: 17th October

2006-09-29T23:21:00.000+08:00

My work today takes me all over the place, and I really mean all over the place. Which makes it tough for me to commit to certain activities that I enjoy doing. In this case, its the Tuesday badminton with the guys. The last time I joined was urmm.. some weeks ago. I did manage to go and join them for 'nasi lemak yati' 2 weeks ago, just barely before I left for Tokyo the following morning. And for the next 3 weeks since then, here's were I have and will be:

Tue, 19 Sep: Managed to go for nasi lemak, next day Tokyo
Tue, 26 Sep: Singapore
Tue, 03 Oct: Paris
Tue, 10 Oct: Florida

Will post my crazy road tour itinerary in the next post... believe me its crazy. Will be back on the 15th, so hopefully, hopefully I do get to join again on the 17th of October.

p/s: I do have guests from Sony coming down that day, so have to set myself up for another disappointment..

Merdeka!

2006-09-01T01:30:00.000+08:00

Over the past couple of years, I have been pretty quiet in discussing the political scenario in Malaysia. During this time, much has happened, personally and professionally. In my daily work, i also have to put on two hats.. personally and professionally. Dun have to say much about my professional opinion, lest the tag ' saya yang menurut perintah' needs further explanation.

However, my personal opinion looks at a broader perspective. In the last 10 years, I have had the opportunity to listen, watch, understand, observe and serve under both leaderships. Lets not get in whatever goes behind the scenes lah, as politicians will be politicians..but I am more concerned about leadership, nation building and as the first front in facing the outside world.

There was much hype and talk about the change that the new leadership would bring (two years ago) and how it will rid hte country of corruption and serve the people better.. My opinion? Never bought that line, and don't see it now, similar to when AI was mooting Keadilan and how it critised the govt on similar topics, I said Get Real.. You may rid the system of the current corrupt, but in time, it will be filled with a different group of corrupt, your group..and sadly, thats what I see today

There was much hype of building better relationships with other nations.. My opinion? This is the saddest of them all, Internationally, we are now seen as having a weak leader (I can vouch thru 1st had experience, again this is not on the political side, where god knows what they are doing), and how the country is now deemed as just one of the them, no longer the leader of the developing world, the voice of Islamic nations, etc.. Kudos to Rafidah for doing her level best, but still not enough

Business was supposed to better, My opinion? Nasib baik lah ada the oil prices going up, so there is an excuse, but rightfully, we are doing so so bad because of other factors.. Why is the govt so afraid to spend money on projects? Whats the point of having a balanced budget at the cost of furhter development? Again this is about understanding nation building, this not about at the end of the day, we are trying to balance or make a profit, this is not a company. After the world war, Japan spent bliions if not trillions on developing infrastructure, to create an environment to enable business and socio-economic development to take place, do they have a balance budget yet? On the contrary, every year the debt increases and may take a few more generations to clear. The US? tak payah ceritalah, no. 1 credit card holder in the world, but are they worried?

F-ups? Why so many lah? My opinion? When you don't know what you are doing and possibly are ill advised (believe me, in my work I do run into the folks at tingkat 4), its possibly a combination of both. Take the Pantai story, is a joke and a shame. In the later part of last year I ahve done a compreshensive study of the govt's procurement system - enough to know who calls the shots. This year I worked out a deal worth quite a number of zero's to attract a forign investor into Malaysia, again 1st hand experience into how the mechanism works.. to be honest, it was a bit to easy at the end, maybe something I dun know? hmmm..

Anyway, thiese are my opinions, as for myself, I have decided a while back to shy away from politics and live my life a simple person - maybe run for PIBG head or something..but who knows, my passion lies with leadership and where the country is headed, should I just sit and watch?

btw, a comment was posted that 'a football game is 90 mins, kalau baru main 10 min, takkan nak keluar..' My opinion? Kalau tak reti main, shud be out even if its only 5 mins, however, ur right, it is 90 mins, sometimes more, and we know all to well, how it isn't over the final whistle is blown (unless you're like 10-0 down first half, hehe)

Happy Birthday Malaysia!

8 in 3

2006-08-21T18:13:00.000+08:00

'Tis the season to go Kenduri.. Lalalala lalala...',

Thank god thats over for now..Actually attended 7 weddings and 1 Akikah in 3 weeks, so to

Bad n Wife (honestly don't recall her name)

Mena n Atai (This I went twice lagi...)

Mal and Lily (This one had to go lah..)

Fuzy n Hubby (Another one had to go..)

Syaffid n wife (Sue's college mate, so had to go lah..)

Mas n Azman (Promised her I'd go long before they were engaged)

Wan Nur Rashidah (Acu's 7th child, my cousin)

May you all lead happy and prosperous lives..

Only glitch was the fact that Sue n I actually suffered food poisoning from one of them..(hehe, won't say which one), but verified it as at least 5 other people who went also had food poisoning

Sama aje...

2006-07-30T20:56:00.000+08:00

The latest incident in Kelantan has really caught a lot of attention, bringing Malaysia in the limelite for all the wrong reasons. 12 hours after the incident, I googled Dr. M under the news section, and there were 124 hits ranging from CNN, BBC, AP News, etc..

It makes no difference what you believe, its how we do it that matters. Spraying the former PM for whatever motive is putting us in the same boat as the people who believe in JI, the Americans in defending the Israelis and whoever feels that they can do whatever they want for what they believe..

For me, it just makes my job a little tougher explaining about the serenity and positives of Malaysia to potential investors. Guess whoever planned it never thought it would affect my job ;) Konoyarou..

Joys of parenthood

2006-07-25T15:50:00.000+08:00

Laila n Ibu..
The biggest joy any parent is to see their children grow and when they are happy. I am glad to have fulfilled one of my responsibilities as a father when we had the Aqiqah for Laila on Sunday. If you recall one of my earlier posts for Ilhan's Aqiqah (wow, has it been that long ago..), this time we didn't have as much fun with the slaughtering and stuff, but nonetheless it was a memorable event, with the Yaasin (thank you to the Megats' mom for leading) and Marhaban (thanks Auntie Jamaliah for being the MC) and good to see close friends and family at the event. These days, I'm too caught up in work that I hardly have time to meet with friends and family alike...Hopefully, the effort will bear fruit soon and I dun have to 'pulun' this hard much longer..

Dua pakar MDeC lawat Amerika - Berita Harian 12 Julai 06

2006-07-16T10:01:00.000+08:00

Dua pakar daripada Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), agensi sehenti yang ditubuhkan kerajaan Malaysia untuk menerajui pembangunan Koridor Raya Multimedia (MSC), kini melawat Amerika Syarikat (AS) bagi berunding dengan syarikat negara itu bagaimana Malaysia boleh menjadi tapak penyumberan luar.

Sungguhpun kekurangan jika dibandingkan dengan India, satu kuasa teknologi maklumat (IT) diikuti China, yang kedua-duanya menawarkan kos lebih rendah dan asas modal sumber manusia berkelayakan yang besar, Malaysia mempunyai kelebihan daripada pesaingnya itu kerana persekitaran pro perniagaan yang cergas.Ketua Pembangunan Perniagaan MDeC, Matthew L Barsing dan Pengurus Pembangunan Perniagaan, Zulfiqar Zalnuddin sedang melawat lima negeri utama — New York, Michigan, Florida, Texas dan California.Zulfiqar berkata, MDEC telah menganjurkan enam lawatan oleh beberapa pasukan setakat ini, tahun ini.“Ini bukanlah lawatan pertama oleh sebuah pasukan MDEC ke AS yang memberikan kira-kira 70 peratus daripada perniagaan penyumberan luar dan perkhidmatan dikongsi dunia, diikuti oleh Eropah 20 peratus dan rantau Asia-Pasifik menyumbang bakinya 10 peratus,” katanya di New York, baru-baru ini.Menurut satu laporan kaji selidik, perniagaan penyumberan luar dijangka mencecah kira-kira AS$5 trilion menjelang 2008.“Kita mensasarkan kira-kira tiga peratus daripada perniagaan dari AS, yang, menurut perkiraan kita, harus menjana kira-kira 150,000 pekerjaan di Malaysia,” Zulfiqar berkata.Menjelang akhir tahun semasa, kira-kira 36,000 pekerjaan akan diwujudkan, katanya.

Catch the English Version from Bernama @ http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=207108

2006-07-14T23:18:00.000+08:00

With my Prize
Receiving the prize from Dato' Radzi
The memorable no.6

Hole No. 6 Par 3 Handicap 12Don't be tempted to take aim at difficult pin placements. The front bunker proves to be a tough up and down. Aim for the middle left of the green as it slopes left to right. Par on this hole is a good score.

And par I did! Not only did I get to par this hole, but I managed to win the Nearest to Pin contest on this hole. Got 50 bucks for it. Well worth the effort that we took to play here. It was actually a friendly tournament organised by the Malaysian Mission in NY as a farewellto Dato' Radzi, the Alternate Ambassador to the UN. What's nice to know is that he will be the new ambassador in Tokyo, replacing Datuk Marzuki, making him the 3rd ambassador in succession that I would know in Tokyo. Makes things a lot easier when I go there.

Was good to have had round of golf, really tough course., but was good break in between our hectic schedule..

Sights n Sounds of NY

2006-07-06T21:22:00.000+08:00

Money, money, money, money!!

Nak pergi tengok Letterman, but it's off till 10th July - sigh..

Grabbing the Bull by its nose?!

Forza Italia!

2006-07-05T18:44:00.000+08:00

There was no coincidence that I had my Italy jersey on yesterday. The game was on at 3pm and I had at least 5 people as kme what time the game was on. Matt & I were busy walking around Manhattan seeing the sites. It was close to 3 and Matt needed to go to Chinatown to get some stuff for his wife.

I thought we were going to be late to get back and watch the game, initially wanted to watch at the ESPN place on Time Square. Along the way, we were surprised to find a wave of blue jerseys with the Red, Wite and Green flag. Everyone was headed to 'Little Italy'. The guys and girls were really passionate and the environment was pretty cool..

Good thing I had the right jersey on ;)

Appropriate?

2006-07-05T12:57:00.000+08:00

Often in life we set out to do things with good intentions, but more often than not, we are misunderstood..

Nuff said..

S&SC

At the Big Apple!

2006-07-04T18:39:00.000+08:00

Arrived at Newark Intl Airport at 1900hrs. Must say one of the most painful journeys I have had to endure. For most of the flight, I had this sore shoulder, must have slept on it and the pain was unbearable.

Got to the hotel, wanted to take a shower and maybe go around, but ended up taking pain killers and dozing off for the next couple of hours. Woke up at 1am and have not been able to sleep since. Its 640am now, going for bfaast soon, and maybe take a walk outside. It seems my place is close to Times square, and what better time to go around than on the 4th of July!

KL-NY-DT-TM-DL-AU-LA-SJ-LA-SG-KL

2006-06-30T17:34:00.000+08:00

ITINERARY PREPARED FOR:
1 ZULFIQAR/ZAINUDDINMR
FLIGHT STOP/EQP/
CITY/TERMINAL/ CLASS FLYING TIME/
DAY DATE STOPOVER CITY TIME STATUS SERVICES
--- ---- -------------- ---- ------ ------------
MON 03JUL DEP KUALA LUMPUR 0850 MH 90 1 STOP
ECONOMY BOEING 777-200
ARR NEWARK 1900 CONFIRMED 22HR 10MIN
TERMINAL B MULTI MEALS
VIA STOCKHOLM ARLANDA
SUN 09JUL DEP NEWARK 1455 CO 877 NON-STOP
TERMINAL C COACH BOEING 737 500
ARR DETROIT METRO 1654 CONFIRMED 01HR 59MIN
E.M. MCNAMARA TERMINAL
MON 10JUL DEP DETROIT METRO 1531 NW 490 NON-STOP
E.M. MCNAMARA TERMINAL ECONOMY AIRBUS A319
ARR TAMPA 1801 CONFIRMED 02HR 30MIN
TUE 11JUL DEP TAMPA 1131 AA 2069 NON-STOP
ECONOMY MD-80
ARR DALLAS FT WORTH 1305 CONFIRMED 02HR 34MIN
TUE 11JUL DEP DALLAS FT WORTH 2049 AA 1731 NON-STOP
ECONOMY MD-80
ARR AUSTIN 2140 CONFIRMED 51MIN
WED 12JUL DEP AUSTIN 1810 AA 427 NON-STOP
ECONOMY MD-80
ARR LOS ANGELES 1908 CONFIRMED 02HR 58MIN
TERMINAL 4 FOOD FOR PURCH
THU 13JUL DEP LOS ANGELES 1945 AA 3131 NON-STOP
TERMINAL 4 ECONOMY EMBRAER RJ140
ARR SAN JOSE CA 2051 CONFIRMED 01HR 06MIN
TERMINAL A FOOD FOR PURCH
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE
SUN 16JUL DEP SAN JOSE CA 1755 AA 3126 NON-STOP
TERMINAL A ECONOMY EMBRAER RJ140
ARR LOS ANGELES 1906 CONFIRMED 01HR 11MIN
TERMINAL 4 FOOD FOR PURCH
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE
SUN 16JUL DEP LOS ANGELES 2115 SQ 19 NON-STOP
TOM BRADLEY INTL TERM ECONOMY AIRBUS A340-50
18JUL ARR SINGAPORE 0540 CONFIRMED 17HR 25MIN
TERMINAL 2 MEALS
TUE 18JUL DEP SINGAPORE 0830 SQ 106 NON-STOP
TERMINAL 2 ECONOMY BOEING 777-200
ARR KUALA LUMPUR 0925 CONFIRMED 55MIN
AIRFARE MYR14276.00 TAX MYR1115.00 ACF MYR90.00
TOTAL PRICE MYR15481.00

Cup of Life

2006-06-29T16:00:00.000+08:00

The World cup is truly the Cup of Life.. I was in Teregganu over the weekend, and was definitely converned that I won't be able to catch the England-Ecuador game or the Brazil-Ghana game. To my surprise, the 'warong' depan my in laws place had put up a big screen for the games.

There I was, sitting with about 1-200 other people who were having really really sweet teh tarik and keropok lekor, supporting their teams and enjoying themsleves.. Was different to watching footie back in KL, but nonetheless enjoyable..

now back in KL and hope to watch the England-Portugal game this Saturday...

Masihkah ada yang baca?

2006-05-24T22:46:00.000+08:00

Have not posted in so so so long, would be a wonder if anyone is still reading this blog anymore.. Shud really start again, there has been so much to tell, so much to ask for opinions, so much observations.. lets see if i am up to it (again..)

Work has been good, can be better, but am not complaining.. so long as i get up in the morning, and before you know it, its late at nite, is so much better than sitting around surfing waiting for the high of the day to be lunch...

How times have changed in the last few months...

A Pleasant Surprise

2006-03-22T13:57:00.000+08:00

Have you guys ever gotten pleasant surprises (other than the one yang kena mandi.. hehe) after waking up? Today, I had this experience, not once, but twice.. Here's the story...

Wanted to watch FA Cup Quarterfinals: Birmingham v Liverpool, so set my alarm to 4am..When it went off, went out, switched on the telly and 6 minutes had passed..Pleasant surprise 1: Birmigham 0-Liverpool 2, watched the remainder of the half and enjoyed another brilliant goal by Crouchie..

Somehow while waiting for the 2nd half to commence, I dozed off again, only to wake up 7 minutes from time.. Pleasant surprise 2: Birmingham 0-Liverpool 6, Phuiyoo, have not seen that score in a while, and to top it all, Cisse got another one to end it at 7-0..

Well, could happily go back to bed after the game and look forward to more pleasant surprises.. ;)

Have you seen him?

2006-03-15T08:44:00.000+08:00

Have you guys seen this kid lately? Please let me know where he went... He should be about 30 today... ;)

Baldie pt.2

2006-03-14T20:28:00.000+08:00

Just finished shaving...
All dry and comfy..

Actually have some time in the office as I am done for the day, but my ride home still has some stuff to do...hopefully he'll be done soon.. anyway, it allows me to post some updates..

A couple of weeks back, I was supposed to play golf, but somehow Rob lost his golf shoes and I was left without any activities for that morning. We had wanted to shave Laila's head for a while now, as our previous experience shaving Ilhan at an older age was that he was already too 'buas' to handle...

So, Sue and I went a got a new 'Gilette' shaver and some foam, and voila! For the record, Laila was a good girl and didnt make to much of a fuss... hehe, daddy's girl lah katakan...

USD Two Dollars?!?

2006-03-14T09:31:00.000+08:00

Have you ever heard of 2 dollars being called U S D (sebut satu2) two dollars, or even R P H 1000 Rupiah?? Dun think this happens anywhere else in the world, except Malaysia.. Ever since they announced the RM sign for the ringgit, there has been various versions of how we use this... The most common are:

1. Saying R M (satu satu) followed by the amount, such as during the recent Anugerah Seri Angkasa, where PM was there, and whenever they announced the prize money that came with the award, it'll be 'wang tunai sebanyak R M 5,000' wtf?!?

2. The other more irritating one, is saying R M followed by the amount, and then add ringgit at the back, a clear example is if u ride the lrt and they have these annoucements for the new Rapid KL bus, it'll say 'bla bla bla dengan bayaran hanya R M dua ringgit', again wtf?!?

Don't they know that u shud just say dua ringgit ajelah, yang R M tu is a currency symbol. I guess its typical of us Malaysians, not paying enough on details and buat kerja asal boleh aje... Malaysia Boleh!

Kelantan, Terengganu..No, Shah Alam?!?

2006-02-27T10:58:00.000+08:00

Sunday, 26 Feb 2006, The unthinkable happened to us folks in Shah Alam.. All this while we've been watching the news of floods over in the East Coast, but yesterday the floods reached emergency level at Shah Alam, along the TTDI Jaya to the NKVE Bukit Jelutong stretch..Luckily, Sue and I decided to spend the nite in TTDI (the real TTDI, hehe) that nite after watching Actorlympics in Bangsar (which was excellent by the way) and only noticed what had happened while watching the afternoon news.

Over the past 3 years that we've lived there, the worst that has come was the occasional foold that would lead to a detour from the NKVE Bukit Jelutong exit. This has by far been the worst we've experienced. Whoever is in charge really has got to do something about the situation, if you want to continue putting up the huge signboards that say ' BUKIT JELUTONG - KAWASAN KEDIAMAN PALING BERPRESTIJ DI LEMBAH KELANG', far from it.. for the moment lah at least..

Actorlympics!

2006-02-22T11:57:00.000+08:00

Got tickets for Sue n I for Saturday's show, dubbed the Malaysian version of Whose Line is it Anyway? and promises to be loads of fun (and interactive). According to Actor Studios, tickets are still available for Saturday, any takers?

Oh yes, its at The Actors Studio, Bangsar - 830 pm. RM 42 / pax

Pitch n Putt anyone?

2006-02-20T14:34:00.000+08:00

Over the weekend, I played at the pitch n putt at the Guthrie course. Although some parts of the course wre like going jungle trekking, it felt good to be able to take an early morning stroll, doing something you like.. So, I am trying to add the final piece to that.. with people you enjoy being with.

I am trying to get Sue to learn to play, paling tidak pun to join me for a round of the pithc n putt. Pretty nice for a Sunday morning, wake up early, can get thru 9 holes in under an hour, walk in the nice cool weather, no buggies yeah, work up an appetite, then can for roti canai nad drinks...

Anyways, would be good if can get more friends to join in as well. And when the kids get a little bigger, they can join as well... Any takers?

This used to be my playgorund...

2006-02-06T11:19:00.000+08:00

Atuk's house in Kg. Gajah & The dreaded jamban, kalau mlm bawa pelita, or tunggu esok pagi ajelah..

Over the CNY holidays, we drove up to Ipoh to attend a wedding. Sue's mom had come down from Tganu to attend her cousin's daughter's wedding, of which both Sue and I had no idea who they were.. Anyway, traffic was so so, took us 4 hours to get there, driving 30-40km/h for 10 mins and then 100 km/h for 10 mins, that was the flow from Rawang to Ipoh.

After attending the wedding, we drove down to Teluk Intan. We had not visited Yanti, PaK Uda's daughter, who had given birth 9 days before Sue did back in October 05. After a tiring day of driving, we spent the night there..

The following morning, I got up early to follow Pak Uda to go to arwah Atuk's house in Kg. Gajah, about 20 mins from Teluk Intan. We wanted to go and see if there are still any rambutan left, as there were a few trees around atuk's house, but every year the 'thieves' would know which tree would bear the best fruit and take them.

When I got there, I was surprised at the condition of the house and compound. I hadn't been there for like a couple of years and Pak Uda had not had the time recently to see to the house. The old place looked really ragged and unattended. This place, which we used to call 'kampung' until atuk passed away, i think around 18 years ago, now looks so small compared to when we used to run around, mandi perigi, main kat parit, etc.. Those were the days..

Time changes how we look at things, the the way we react and the decisions we make...

Irrashai Nakatani san

2006-01-24T10:34:00.000+08:00

Nakatani san with Ilhan
Good turn out..

A couple of weeks ago, we (former students of Wakayama Dai) had a mini reunion. The occasion was to meet up with our 'okasan' from Wakayama. Nakatani san is the head of a volunteer group can WIN Concord. Thegroupd wasset up with the hope of fostering ties with foreigners living in Wakayama and who else to represent this than we, the international students.

See, Nakatani san and the other member of WIN really took good care of us when we were there. We would be lying if they have not more than once helped us out or did us a favour or two during our stay there. Be it from organising trips, looking for apartments, providing basic ammenities to sorting things out when we got in trouble with police and that kind of stuff.

IT was no surprise when most of us who were available that day did not hesitate when I told them she was here and wanted to meet up. With the exception of Belle, Kadok, Chipoet and Intan (note the similaritie - all from East Cost and it was the Aidil adha break), we managed to meet up at Just Thai in 1 utama.

Nakatani san was happy to see that we have progressed well ( as she was really worried how some of us would turn out, hehe, we were young once..) and to see so many kids around..

For Nakatani san and other friends from Japan, you are most welcome to Malaysia and this time, let us return the favour to you guys..

Start em young..

2006-01-24T10:22:00.000+08:00

Ever since we have not had a maid, moving aroud has been a bit of a hassle. Firstly, if both of us were around, then at least Ilhan can sit in his seat and Sue and hold Laila. Well, for the whole of last week, it has become slightly more tricky. We sent the kids to a nursery at KJ, having gone tired of waiting for the maid and considering our commitment towards work - taking too many leaves..

So, Sue was left to ferry Ilhan n Laila all by herself after dropping me off at the LRT. We got another car seat, slightly larger for Ilhan and Laila can now have Ilhan's seat. Alhamdulillah, Ilhan is used to sitting in a child seat, so he doesn't mind, and Laila's still too young to complain, hehe..

So far so good, mother and child have been traveling well and reaching the destinatons safely...

Lim Tong Gong

2006-01-20T14:25:00.000+08:00

I was supposed to take the day off to babysit the kids while there was still no maid. Sue had taken a few days off and I hadto take a couple here and there to do my part. On this fine day, well actually it was raining slightly, Sue was on her way to work, when Mr. Lim (the tonggong is added cause memang tonggong lah dia ni) had hit Sue from behind. Nasib baik slow..Worst thing was, so happened she was driving my Audi that day..

So, spoke to the guy, told him to follow Sue back to TTDI where I took it from there. Brought him over to my workshop, assessed the damage, then he went to assess the damage on his Iswara.. ended up sending his car to my workshop as well..

All in all, spent half a day attending to this, and got the car back the next day. Check out the pics of the damage - grateful that Sue was ok, and how sturdy the Audi is, at least know that the wife and kids would be safe in the event of any minsfortunes, nauzubillah, take place.

Ha, ada pun...

2006-01-20T10:14:00.000+08:00

Many were surprised with my observation in my earlier post 'Do you do this?', on the way people hold their mobiles. I see it everyday, and I fnally got a specimen to show you... Takkan tak pernah tengok kot? Dun even ask me who this is, I have no idea..hehe

Of maids n gangsters..

2006-01-20T10:00:00.000+08:00

My maid finally had to be sent back as her work permit expired on the 21st of december 05. Was told that a replacement is available. As this maid was on temporary basis, assumed that the replacement was to be provided to me on my existing contract. To cut the story short, i was asked to pay another RM 4900, and some more money was requested to send the maid home and some other dodgy stuff.

With all due respect to my agent (no need to mention who lah kan), I told her to keep the maid, give me back whatever was due back to me, and settled whatever was needed to send my maid back.. To be frank, it wasn't very nice how they were being treated.

Nevertheless, my take on this one is that it is the nature of the biz, no transparency, demand is so much greater than supply, lack of quality on the product delivered, weak governance, lack of protection on the employers that makes one resort to certain tactics, albeit some form of gangsterism.

I believe many have gone through similar experiences. One area i'd like to learn is how to introduce a certain level of protection for the employers in the event maid lari. Sekarang ni maid dtg kerja 6 bulan then lari, dah lah kita kena bayar fine, kalau nak replacement kena top up the 4-5000 needed for a new one. Some say simpan gaji maid, some do other stuff.. So kalau ada insights, do share..

So, Sue and I have been without a maid for almost a month. Having to balance work, the kids and domestice chores has in a way affected our movements and activities (have not played futsal since ;) ) But, we're hanging in there...

I'm back!

2006-01-20T09:45:00.000+08:00

Have not been posting for over a month now. Have been bogged down with so many things that just lost the mood to post... Can't tell how many times i've got to this page and wanted to post, but for one reason of the other, tak jadi.. anyway, i've decided to base my year on the lunar calendar this year - so that means my new year will start on Feb 4 this year. Things that I plan to do for the new year:

1. Get my new year's resolutions done..
2. Do my financial planning for the year
3. Plan and actually go for holidays
4. Return to MDC?? (watch this one)
5. Get the MLPC2 (Watch this one, literally)

Ok, will post wuick updates to make up for lost time and for all (if there are still people who visit my blog) to catch up on whats been going on...

I'm back! (not like i was gone in the first place)

Do you do this?

2005-12-06T14:06:00.000+08:00

Left hand right ear? why?

Had this discussion with Nurleena at coffee hut the other day. The scenario is this, say u hold ur phone with ur right hand to ur right ear, then say u need to right down a number or message, u switch to your left hand.. but for some unknown reason, u still use ur right ear... Do you do this?

Why not put the phone to ur left ear? Ever observe (or even do) this?

A special thanks to Rama for being my model for the day.. hehe

New Toy

2005-12-03T02:21:00.000+08:00

After weeks of travelling round the world (the virtual world that is, looking at several e-bay sites), from Malaysia, China, USA and in the end Australia, my search has ended. I finally got the Nikon D50 camera. After I sold my Sony Cybershot DSC F828 to move to a pure DSLR camera, I began searching around for this camera. I wanted to get the D50 with an additional Nikkor 70-300mm My journey took me to -

KLCC - RM 4,000 (with 512 mb card + easy payment) - intially thought that was OK

Qingdao, China - RM 2,010 (with 2GB card) thought this was great, until some fishy things turned up and decided to give this a miss rather than lose money on a scam

New York, USA - RM 3,650 (with 1GB card) - delivery costs would have made it the same as in KLCC Australia (well actually PJ - just trading done in Aus e-bay) - RM3,600 (no card, but with bag + cleaning kit) - was about to go for this..

until i ended up at

Bukit Bintang Plaza- RM 3,500 (512mb card + easy payment + bag + mini tripod) - so got it!!

Here are some early shots taken with my new toy, have a lot more to explore...

taken with the normal 18-55mm lens

and this is what the 300mm can do for you

Pic of me n sue at Pesta Port Dickson during our honeymoon

The macro function is great

Members of the Royal Court - o how i miss them..

2005-11-28T17:56:00.000+08:00

Ibu a.k.a. Ayang - Queen, Love of my life, soul mate, karaoke partner, minister of domestic affairs, co-chairman of children's development board

Laila - Princess, adik, daddy's girl, ibu's future shopping partner, ilhan's playmate, main consumer of ibu's milk, joy of our hearts

Ilhan - Crown Prince, Abang, Heir to the Empire, Daddy's weekend footie mate, Ibu's little boy, Wall Bulldozer (or at least runs into them), daddy's 'message received' informer

Just went back over the weekend to see the royal family. Ibu looks a lot better, although it is tough that she has to manage both kids as I am not around. Ilhan just wouldn't let go for the 1 1/2 days I was there. Laila was sleeping most of the time, glad that the cough has gone.

Tow more weeks, then I fly again to Terengganu, this time to bring them home. The castle has been too quiet without them..Can't wait.

Sports Fan

2005-11-24T14:22:00.000+08:00

Have you ever been in a situation where there's a match on and you can't watch it? I will face that situation when I go back to Terengganu this weekend, Man City v. Liverpool is on at 10.55 on ESPN. Dah lah last week tak tunjuk Liverpool. How can people manage without Astro nowadays? Worst case, how can anyone get Astro and not get the sports channels? For as far back as I can remember, I have enjoyed watching and playing sports, and all kinds of sports. Here's a rundown of who (or which team) I watched during introduction, all time fav, and current fav in some of the sports I enjoy (which means I'll watch it if its on TV)

Sport / Indroduced to the sport / All time favourite / Current favourite

Football (team) / Liverpool / Liverpool / Liverpool

Football (individual) / John Barnes / Diego Maradona / Stevie G

Basketball / Larry Bird / Micheal Jordan / Shaq

Golf / Tom Kite / Seve Ballesteros / Tiger Woods

Althletics / Nordin Jadi / Micheal Johnson / UNKNOWN

F1 / Nigel Mansell / Mika Hakkinen / Kimi Raikonnen

Rally / Ari Vatanen / Carlos Sainz / UNKNOWN

Baseball / Hideo Nomo / Ichiro Suzuki / Ichiro Suzuki

Sumo / Chiyonofuji / Akebono / Chiyotaikai

Badminton / Misbun Sidek / Zhao Jianhua / Taufik Hidayat

Swimming / Nurulhuda Abdullah / Jeffrey Ong / Lim Keng Liat

Hockey / Shahbaz Ahmed / Norsaiful Zaini / S Kuhan

Hmm, will add more when I can think of more sports.. Gotta get back to work now..

Holiday Babies Galore!

2005-11-17T21:09:00.000+08:00

Alhamdulillah, our heartiest congratulations to Lal & Haniza on the birth of their son last nite at HKL. After the many challenges that uv gone through, I trust that this gift from god will bring you joy and happiness. Went to see them with Azad during lunch. Mom looks fine, dad still dazed from work and did not get to see baby yet. Nantilah, when Sue n kids are back, will definitely go and visit again.

As for the Kamcheng brotherhood, this completes the trilogy of holiday babies for the year. We have been blessed with:

Iman Nur Laila Zulfiqar

Aneesa Farzana Wan Azrizul Azad

Myftzal Dzaeffran Qayyum Mafeitzeral

Insya Allah, our children will grow up to be good friends as their fathers are.. Amin

Now over to the rest of the gang to take up the mantle for 2006. Dunno about Azad n Lal, but Sue n I are not planning for a third so soon (but u never know..hehe)

spot the difference with the picture below?

Its been a while

2005-11-14T17:16:00.000+08:00

when we first moved in
empty bedroom

On Friday, we finally took the drive back to Terengganu for Sue & the kids to spend the remainder of her confinement period (which I am still getting various answers - 40, 42, 44 days?). Anyway, this gives sue an opportunity to spend sometime with her family back in her hometown. I sometimes ignore the fact of how big a sacrifice she made when she decided to live her life with me, meaning to live a life in KL, to leave behind her family (won't mention friends, cos somehow, I have yet to meet any of her friends in the many times we've been in Terengganu).. I have been asked and have yet to be able to answer this question - Would I consider moving over somewhere closer to Terengganu to spend our retirment? Hmm..

Anyway, its been a while that I've been alone in our house. Can be kinda lonely. Trying to take this opportunity to catch up on friends, do some reading (actually havre a lot to read for this coming project that I'll be part of), maybe some golf (hmm, thats been a really long while) and maybe do some DIY stuff at home..

A first of sorts

2005-11-05T13:20:00.000+08:00

Its the first weekend after Eid and we are back home in Bukit Jelutong. Sue's parents and siblings came down yesterday evening and will be here for a week before we bring everyone back to Terengganu next weekend.

For us its been a Raya of firsts..

First raya with Laila...

First raya at the hospital, as Laila had jaundice and had to spend a couple of nights at the SCN in Damansara Specialist

First raya that we have selected a theme for the family..this year we chose the colour purple..

First raya that ma & abah are down from terengganu spending raya in KL

In this time of joy, I pray that we will have the will & strength to be thankful for all we have.. As I read in the papers, watch on TV and surf through the net, there is so much to be thankful for, so many that are less fortunate and so much that we can do to help out. .. Insya Allah

Allahuakbar

2005-10-31T03:08:00.000+08:00

Short announcement to all. Alhamdulillah, my wife and I have been blessed with a daughter at 3.20pm, on Saturday 29th October 2005. She weighed in at 3.32kg and both mother and daughter are now safely sleeping at our home in Bukit Jelutong. Sue's mom is around till tomorrow evening, then we'll be making our way back to TTDI for raya at mama's place. Sue's family will be coming down on 2nd day of raya, so i guess we'll be headed back to BJ then. Do drop by to visit the latest edition to our family. If all goes well, our daugther's name shall be registered as Iman Nur Laila.

On a lesser note, 30 mins after her delivery, the Streamyx people called and said that my 3 month wait for Streamyx to be installed is over, and they came earlier today (hence the reason for me to be posting at 3am, and the fact that Laila is wide awake asking for milk)

All in all, its been a good weekend for me and the family, look forward to hearing more great news with a couple more Raya babies due soon.. Wishing Azad& Yanti, Meng & Haniza the very best of wishes and prayers that all will go well..

Finally, from Sue, Ilhan, Laila and myself, wishing all our mates Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir & batin for any wrongdoings that we have done in the past.. Take care during the destive season and hope to meet up with you guys soon..

Apa saya mau jadi?

2005-10-20T09:25:00.000+08:00

Your Career Type: Enterprising

You are engertic, ambitious, and sociable.
Your talents lie in politics, leading people, and selling things or ideas.

You would make an excellent:

Auctioneer - Bank President - Camp Director
City Manager - Judge - Lawyer
Recreation Leader - Real Estate Agent - Sales Person
School Principal - Travel Agent - TV Newscaster

The worst career options for your are investigative careers, like mathematician or architect.

What's Your Ideal Career?

I'm lovin it!

2005-10-19T15:49:00.000+08:00

Yesterday Karnain called and asked whether we would like to join him and Kak Nab to break fast at Mcdonalds. He got to know that there is a Ramadan Buffet and McD's Mutiara Damansara. At first we thought it was too good to be true, but decided to give it a try anyway.

It seems that there actually is such a thing. Ramadan Buffet for RM 18 per person, RM 9 for kids. So there were six of us 4 adults and we brought Fiqri and Ilhan along - at no extra charge for the little ones. It was really a free for all. U line up, just order anything (and everything, hehe) on the menu. Here's a summary of what we had:

1 Big Mac

1 Double Cheeseburger

2 Quarter Pounder

2 Filet-o-fish

5 Chicken Foldover

4 2pc Fried Chicken

4 6pc McNuggets

2 medium Fries

2 Sundaes

4 Apple Pies

4 Cokes

8 Sirap Bandung

Yum, yum.. Only thing was they did not have a surau, so had to leave by 8. Maybe can ask the Kamcheng gang to go one day..

What shall we have?

2005-10-05T16:00:00.000+08:00

Today is the first day of Ramadhan. As mentioned by our Imam in the Elaeis surau last night, we should be grateful that we have been blessed to still be able to appreciate Ramadhan. This will be our second Ramadhan with Ilhan. Last year,Sue & I were pretty occupied with Ma & Abah being around for about 3/4th's of the month for Abah's DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) op and treatments.

So spent the days going to hospital after work, buka puasa here and there.. Didn't get to do much that year, including the buka puasa with the Kamcheng gang. Of course, I missed out a lot on going to my regular Pasar Ramadhan in TTDI (and now including Sg. Penchala to get the murtabak with Mafiz)

So, this year i do plan to go more often, if permitted. One thing to always remember is that you've got a month to try everything, more than once.. So, take it slow and easy. Lets see, today I think I shall try the traditional...

Ayam Percik

Murtabak

The Bridge in Pangkor Island Resort

2005-09-26T13:10:00.000+08:00

Pic of the bridge from the earlier post..

Mari Kita Ber'meme'!

2005-09-26T11:11:00.000+08:00

Sure ka people want to know? I sometimes come across as seemingly secretive or even mysterious, hehe.. but I do feel my life is an open book, what you see is what you get. So, for those who want to get to know me better..

Seven things you plan to do before you die:

1. Go on Hajj
2. Go to Paris with Sue
3. Teach Ilhan to play footie
4. Buy the 'Lagenda' house in Bukit Jelutong
5. Open a mosque - ditto hear lal, recall having this discussion with you like 7,8 years ago
6. Go to a world cup game
7. Ensure steady income level to allow me to participate in NGO's, charities, teach footie to kids..

Seven things I could do:

1. Save more money
2. Regularly update my blog
3. Regularly exercise
4. Drink and eat less 'sweet stuff'
5. Learn Arabic
6. Read more
7. Go for more holidays

Seven celebrity crushes:

1. Sandra Bullock - when i first saw her in Speed
2. Cheryl Samad
3. Angelina Joile - isn't she on every guys list?
4. Jessica Simpson
5. Babyrina..what? u dun like is it?
6. Gabriella Sabatini - i think she's hotter than the current tennis girls
7. Jennifer Anniston

Seven often repeated words:

1. Alhamdulillah
2. Why?
3. Bastard!
4. Ilhan, come here..
5. I love you
6. Really?
7. Bullshit!

Seven physical traits I look for in the opposite sex:

1. Pleasant smile
2. Pony tail
3. All kinds of boobs (big, medium, small.. they're all good)
4. Good all round Hygiene
5. Good appetite (can't stand the makan control type)
6. As long as they dun say 'thats mean'
7. Understands that men n women r two different creatures

There you have it! Taking the rest of the morning to try and post more blogs. Sent in my report this morning and while waiting for the feedback, might as well catch up on stuff that i have begelected for a while.

I remember

2005-09-20T13:10:00.000+08:00

IA had its annual company retreat (albeit only the 2nd time) in Pangkor fro 8-10 September. Wow, its actually been 10 days since I returned from that trip and have not been able to post anything in my blog. Actually, I have been really, really busy on my current project. No futsal, badminton (which means no nasi lemak) or other stuff over the past 3 weeks. Only outing I had recently was going to watch Selngor trounce Terengganu 3-1 at in the semi's of the Malaysia Cup with Meng, Haniza and Dil.

Anyway, am still very busy, deadlines and rather unreasonable deliverables are keeping me.... (terbantut, sambung when possible)

Ok, its the day after I started writing this post. Actually wanted to post a picture that has remained stuck in my mind for close to 20 years now. This is a pic of the bridge over the swimming pool at Pangkor Island Resort (it used to be Pan Pacific Pangkor). You see, I first saw this picture when I was in Standard 5, which would make me 10 (lompat kelas lah). At that age, I so wanted to go there.. After I finished the then Penilaian Darjah 5 and got my grades, I so wanted my dad to take us there. For whatsoever reason that I can't seem to recall, we ended up going somewhere else.

That weekend we went to Pangkor (its now the following Monday..) I immediately saw the bridge over the swimming pool that was stored in my memory bank so so long ago... I remembered the times we used to go family holidays around Malaysia during school holidays. And now that we are working, earning a living, balancing work and play, etc.. I can only stop to appreciate the that my parents did take the time and make the effort to take us for holidays.

Look East

2005-08-24T11:06:00.000+08:00

My personal world map

visited 16 countries-
like to visit 7 countries

Create your own world map

Got this from Nor's blog, kinda cool. Looks like the countries I've visited are either in Europe or around this region. Definitely need to visit our neighbours in Indonesia. By choice of 'want to go' s, my preferences are:

1. Australia

2. Greece

3. South Africa

Lessons learnt

2005-08-18T12:26:00.000+08:00

ITs been nearly 2 weeks now that I have started my adventure in KLCC. You see part of the adventure is getting there. I have been trying out for the past 10 days on timing, etiquette, making urself comfortable and some other stuff with regards to this. Before I started work here, it was one of the concerns that I had. This is what I have understood:

1. I start work at 8.30, tried leaving the house at 7, 7.15, 7.30 and later 7.45 (see below and u'll understand) to get an assesment of traffic and parking availability at the station.

2. It'll take on average 30 mins to get to Kelana Jaya. It takes another 30 mins to KLCC from Kelana Jaya. So, after parking the car and walking and getting on the train (based on the times above) I would arrive in KLCC at 8.00, 8.15, 8.45 and 9.00. See although we start work at 8.30, apparently no one comes in until around 9! Canggih...

3. Getting on the LRT was tricky at first. Being the first stop, initially I thought that the train would be empty by the time it got to KJ. But I guess people learn and adapt. There are now many people who take the trip to KJ and back to where they came from so that they can get a seat. So, we too must learn and adapt. I have learnt that if I can afford to wait 3 mins (which is how often the train comes), I can line up and when the train comes go straight to the front of the line, then I get to sit..

Anyway, enough of that, will continue with my adventures - need to explore the places to eat next! - mcm rusa masuk kampung lah katakan..

Day 1

2005-08-08T14:03:00.000+08:00

Today I begin my adventure in KLCC. I have started work at Innovation Associates (or more fondly known as IA). IA is a group of companies, focused on providing end-to-end solutions to our clients specializing in consultancy, IT solutions and outsourcing. Left the house really early today, around 7am, parked my car at Kelana Jaya, took the LRT and ended up in KLCC by 7.45. Not too bad...

Rather interesting for a first day. The MD had called for a management meeting (comprising around 13 of us, managers and above) and has reaffirmed that he would want to make this a regular thingie. For me this is encouraging. Communication is always key in an organisation. Most of the time, crises could have been avoided if the communication had been well executed.

Also, got to know that we will be having a company retreat in Pangkor from 9-11 September. Interesting....

So, not bad for Day 1. I mentioned that I was encouraged by the level of discussions at the management meeting, and quoting En. Halim (the MD)..

"You are encouraged to remain encouraged..." hehe

Here I Come!

2005-08-02T12:19:00.000+08:00

Finally the decision has been made. If you recall my earlier blogs, I was in a delimma to sort out the options I have for my career. At the end of the day, the one reason that has swayed the vote was 'peace of mind'. The other options were enticing, but after evaluating and doing some soul searching, I came to realise that when I consider the offers, i had to ask a question - What's in it for them?

That was the killer question for me. Realising this, the offers to stay would make me remain a 'pawn' in the great scheme of things. I've done my share of 'politics' here, and although I can survive the game, I just don't like it...

The other offer was eliminated early on. Good money, yes, but not at this moment lah.. maybe in a few years.

So, By this time next week, I will be in KLCC Tower 2, Level 49 (go find out if u wanna know which company ;) ). Now I have a different delimma..

Should I drive or should I take the LRT? hmmm...

Not so good balik kampung..

2005-07-25T12:17:00.000+08:00

With Sue having completed her tenure and PPUM and looking at the timing (she is at 25-26 weeks, hmm.. gotta check) this maybe one last chance to catch a flight to head back to to KT. On the evening that we were due back, my mother-in-law got admitted into the medical ward of the Terengganu GH due to an asthma attack coupled with a bout of fever, which had caught everyone in the house.

We were hoping that she would only be in there for a day or two, but being a holiday weekend and all that, there were no specialists around and the houseman in charge (who had just started her first 3 days as a doctor) could not make that call for her to go back. She ended up leaving the hospital on Sunday afternoon, just after we had arrived in KL, bummer...

Otherwise, I too could not escape catching a cold and slight fever while I was there.. spent the whole Friday and Saturday in bed. Nonetheless, got something achieved, finished reading Angels & Demons, been wanting to do that for quite sometime now.

I must say that it did end up be pretty interesting, although going through the middle section searching for the 'pefereti' cardinals is quite the challenge. Who would have thought that Janus was the Carmelengo himself... But the lesson to be learnt is that sometimes we do things in desperation to protect a greater cause, but no matter how big or important the reason, we cannot take things into our own hands, hence no support to bombers, suicide killers and the sorts. We should try and understand the cause for their desperations and solve those issues.. not increase secrurity, sanction countries..aik, dah jadi cerita lain ni..

Ok, i hope to be fine for badminton tomorrow. And the moment, still coughing and blowing my nose...

2005-07-18T12:29:00.000+08:00

Yesterday evening, my team mates and I in DUFC (V), which actually stands for Veteran as we are all retired from the DUFC team (who have gone on to win the Damansara Invitational), relived a moment of glory. We played in our second match of the Liga 2735, which actually stands for the league for players aged between 27 and 35, and won 7-1!

Sad thing happened though, I have once again been struck by an old nemesis, the ankle injury. Got whacked by the on rushing forward and immediately felt the sharp pain to my ankle. Walked it off and continued to play the remainder of the game.

It was not until I got home and sat down on the sofa that I felt the impact of the clash and how painful my ankle was. After putting some yoko yoko on it, I am still struggling to walk.. However, it does not seem too serious (not like the previous two injuries to my ankle, which were long term), and hopefully I would be able to make it this weekend.

On speedy recoveries, 30-70 chance of making it for badminton with the kamcheng gang tomorrow, so might go straight for the nasi lemak yati..rosak, rosak...

When all else fails..

2005-07-11T12:50:00.000+08:00

A couple of weeks or so has passed sinec I wrote that post on having too many options.. Trouble is that more options have come into the picture. What do I do? What do I do? Times have been stressful pondering what would be the best option... So I have decided to consult the One that I know I can trust..

Performing the Solat Istikharah is a means of which muslims seek to get guidance and inspiration for decisions that are hard to make.. I shall hope and pray that a solution will arise to my ongoing dilemma..

Ilhan turn's 1!

2005-07-04T10:51:00.000+08:00

Saturday, July 2 2005 was Ilhan's birthday. Both Sue ann I were not working, so we planned a little get together for his birthday. Just a small party, with my mom and other family members. Didn't get the usual friends over this time, maybe next year. A year has passed since that wonderful Friday afternoon. We are thankful to Him for Ilhan and all the pleasures He has bewtowed upon us. May there be many more..

Me, Ilhan and Fiqri

What would you do?

2005-06-28T12:39:00.000+08:00

I preach that life is about making decisions, and whether u are right or wrong is another matter. You shall be remembered and respected for the decisions that you make. Over the past couple of months, my career has been filled with uncertainty. Not that my job is in danger, its that options have come about and that I may not be as easy going when it comes to my abiliy to change jobs anymore.

I have been given option after option, and when it seems that I have decided on an option, a couple more pop up. Thats how its been. And now, I have made a decision to leave this job. And as Murphy would have it, more options pop up. My options are now:

1. To move to this new place, permanent job, better pay, not much benefits, promises to be more challenging and satisfying (note the word 'promises')
2. An offer to work on a BPR project, twice the amount of pay to option 1, no benefits, 18 month contract. Will be with old mates in previous job
3. To remain at MDC and move to another department, which has done more than what I deserve in accomodating and compromising for me to go there. The SVP there has also stressed that he will 'intervene' should i decide to leave
4. Stay where I am, there is a promising and challenging role that I have been ear marked for, but with no guarantee when and if it does happen, just that I have been told that I am the person for that role when the time comes.

So... what would you do?

To a new beginning

2005-06-27T11:28:00.000+08:00

I haven't been posting much in my earlier blog over the past couple of months. Then, when I finally decided that I should pick it up a bit, I have not been able to access my blog through the regular dashboard.

So, I've decided to create a new, with a new look and new vow to make an effort to post once a day or every other day. I think it's just a case of 'malas', but it should be good for me. I see this as a simple yet effective exercise to overcome this 'penyakit'. .

So let's see how far I go this time round..Wish me luck!

Syachou..