dee's thoughts

The Pencil Maker & The Pencil

2011-07-18T09:46:00.001+08:00

A deep-in meaning story to break this long dry spell (of blogging). A story shared by a man whom we regard as a profound mentor himself...

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in others hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose for which you are born.

Strategy = Winning

2010-09-25T18:00:00.002+08:00

Every year the Group's Strategy & Finance departments will prepare pages after pages of slides and analysis templates for companies to use to prepare their annual strategic plans, targets and budgets.

And every year, I hear remarks being made about how ''academic'' these templates are and that they are used just to ''satisfy'' the Group requirements. It can be quite frustrating when the management team give little regard to these templates / tools that are meant to assist and facilitate the planning process.

Working within my circle of influence, I try to convince at least the management team in my company of the value to be gained when we go through the process i.e. starting with identifying where we are by using the SWOT template and other internal analyses; then analysing competitors, the market and other external factors affected by Political, Environment, Social and Technology (PEST). From here, issues are highlighted, which in turn make it easier to identify the right strategy and action plans to support it. All this with the ultimate objective of achieving the company's goals and aspirations.

After all, strategy is about winning! - winning market share, winning over competitors and winning in sales and profits! Thus, as the above picture suggets, the strategic planning process helps us to get to where we want to go by first identifying where we are, and listing out strategies to get there (the 'How').

I know my plan has worked when I get "ah-ha's" from the management team when they see how the strategies unfold and are linked to or address the SWOT, PEST, market analyses carried out earlier. I hope to have changed the perception that strategic planning is a mere academic exercise. It would then be much easier to get the management team's buy-in to execute these strategies and hopefully work towards achieving the company's targets. The Head of Company's role would also be a lot easier too as he/she would just need to ensure that they are steered on the right track, staff maintain motivated and ensure that achievements are duly and timely rewarded.

It's the new year

2010-01-05T12:04:00.009+11:00

my niece's blog has inspired me to make my own list, though not a list of 100 facts about me but a list of 70 things I did in 2009, here goes...

1. celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in September - thank you AY for a decade of fun, adventure, learning and lots of love… looking forward to many more decades with you
2. visited cousin Ena in Cairo and had a photo taken at the pyramids of Giza and caught a glimpse of the sculpture of Queen Nefertiti
3. adjusted daily routine to accommodate MIL who’s been staying with us since April
4. got a maid to assist MIL - enjoying being called maam at the cost of having to endure the headaches and stress that come with having a maid
5. travelled to Melbourne during the height of the H1N1 scare and returned unscathed, Alhamdulillah
6. activated SPELL, our long-term dream now a reality
7. completed the ‘Voice of Leadership’ and ‘Leading Organisational Change’ modules as part of the MSc in Business Leadership program. 1 assignment and 1 group project to go to earn my 2nd masters degree
8. survived 25 lonely nights without AY during his travels to London, Paris, Ireland, Barcelona, Canberra, Cairo (his 2nd trip), Penang and Kelantan … hu hu hu
9. bangun sahor every morning in Ramadhan, highly recommended
10. completed puasa ganti within 2 months after Ramadhan
11. did not get any summon for traffic or parking violations
12. submitted year 2008 income tax e-filing for both me and AY ontime
13. visited Melbourne, Abu Dhabi, Cairo and Singapore – with AY of course
14. lost 5 kg… but gained it back soon after all the good food enjoyed during our travels
15. understand how Islamic financing works!
16. clocked in 2 years of working in PROPEL on 15 August
17. achieved our highest sales for Café Lui… and celebrated our 1 year anniversary of operations in May
18. launched the Lui Farm website www.luifarm.com
19. polished the last few chapters of our ‘Mencari Cinta Sejati’ book… hopefully all goes well for its launch in 2010
20. reunion with SMPTLDM and AL8 friends
21. am now on facebook and getting in touch with friends from as way back as primary school and neighbour in JB
22. rekindled friendship with my BFF Claire Keow and celebrated her big day getting married to a wonderful guy, Mervyn
23. had my asthma under control and stayed clear of hospital admissions
24. discovered USANA!!
25. I now have my own correlle dinner set :-) have always wanted one, the diningware in my kitchen are all gifts from our wedding
26. used the cheque from income tax to clear my credit card balance... it’s horrifying to see it increase again when left unchecked!
27. opened a joint account with AY, by default.. ha ha
28. secured the tender bid for our second car park bay at our condo
29. cleared the bookshelves of old magazines and files and relocated them to Langat
30. books read: Jack Welch’s 4E’s of Leadership, Daughter of the East: Benazir Bhutto’s autobiography, Grisham's Playing for Pizza... to name a few
31. read Confessions of Fitzwilliam Darcy, again… I just love the language used and if you've always wondered about Darcy’s feelings towards Elizabeth, read it!! Jane Austen leaves this part out
32. watched Slumdog Millionaire, Up, G-Force, The Ugly Truth, Rebound, This Is It and Avatar at the cinema
33. spring cleaned our dresser cupboard and shelves and organised knick-knacks into shoe boxes with labels!
34. scanned our engagement and wedding photos for our digital album
35. bought only 2 pairs of shoes, really
36. tailor-made baju raya instead of buying off-the-shelf like the last 2 years
37. ventured to the next level of digital photography with my new D90 - *hugs * for AY!
38. said “hi” to pretentious people whom I would’ve ignored and not given two hoots about previously
39. forgave that one person who borrowed money from me about 6 years ago and never attempted to return a single sen
40. queued for 90 minutes for AY’s iphone at KLCCCC during its debut in Malaysia
41. watched Black Dog Bone in concert and Cuci the Musical at Istana Budaya
42. ate a tiny piece of the RM16 martabak sold at pasar Ramadhan (well at that price, we had to share)
43. shook hands with Tun Daim (& Toh Puan) and Tun Mahathir, on separate occasions
44. crossed escalators with Anuar Zain at KLCC, sigh
45. attended a church wedding
46. attended an Arab family wedding
47. emceed a corporate event attended by members of the board
48. became a member of Memory Lane, Exotique fruit shop and Taman Desa Pharmacy
49. did not send any greeting cards the entire year… not sure why
50. laughed a lot, cried a little
51. bought a book in Abu Dhabi and Singapore
52. successfully refrained from buying the miniature koalas in Melbourne
53. went to Victoria Market twice!
54. watched the penguin parade on Phillip Island
55. sewed beading on Medina & Aisha’s baju raya
56. lost my voice for a week due to laryngitis
57. set up the al-durra e-group and blog
58. appeared in Majalah Anis in the month of November
59. got 5,325 hits on this blog, perhaps I should be posting more often
60. coordinated efforts for my company to appear in Majalah 3 in September
61. bought a leather jacket, ehem
62. translated 132,350 words to English
63. switched from monthly disposable to 2-weekly disposable lenses
64. renewed subscription to McKinsey Quarterly for 2 more years
65. mentored 2 high-potential gentlemen – I wish them good luck in their pursuits
66. voted for Nabil, lu fikirlah sendiri ;-)
67. bought a wedding ring, ehem
68. helped set-up an overseas branch office for my company
69. pursued our condo strata title until it was issued
70. lived, loved, learned and trying to leave a legacy
.

Anyway

2009-08-04T13:05:00.002+08:00

I came across this lovely poem by Mother Theresa which reflects on the concept of "If it's to be it's up to me". This is a beautiful poem which describes "being proactive" and the maxim "if it's to be, it's up to me"... apparently the late Yasmin Ahmad also subscribed to this philosophy, making her remembered as the kind of person that she is ... enjoy

A leader must be able to know when to contribute and do the best in the interest of the people that they are responsible for. The difference between a leader and a manager is that a leader does the right things whereas a manager only does things right.

Anyway
~ by Mother Theresa ~

.People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

~ * ~

trip to the land down under

2009-07-28T17:32:00.022+08:00

Today I'm resting at home. I've been coughing since yesterday so I went to tdmc for a hidracot shot and nebuliser. After a 3 hour nap and having attended to emails from work, I'm updating my blog which has been neglected for sometime.

My not feeling well today had nothing to do with the trip to Melbourne end of June, during the height of the H1N1 influenza outbreak.

For the record, there were no screening at the melbourne airport, not many people wearing masks in town and infact it was life as usual for the locals. Perhaps its because other people are more responsible to self-quarantine when they're unwell. There's no need to close schools and update statistics daily, maybe if Malaysians know to stay away from schools, pasar malams and other public areas when they have suspicious symptoms.

AY had left a few days earlier to attend a conference in Canberra and I joined him in Melbourne on Friday night. As I was traveling on my own, I entertained myself by observing the people who were traveling with me. The check-in queue at the LCCT saw quite a number of passengers wearing masks especially the chinese and a handful malays (I didn't want to be rude so there's no photo of them la). They continued wearing their masks throughout the flight but surprisingly took it off for meals...

The Air Asia flight was only a quarter full so I had 3 seats to myself to spread out during the 7-hour flight ~ and that was a consolation for having to pay for every single thing on board! Yes, you're constantly reminded that you're flying a "no-frills" airline when you have to pay not only for food, but also for in-flight entertainment, your toothbrush, pillow and blanket. It really makes one appreciate fullfare flights ;-)

The weather was beautiful, hovering around 8-10 degrees C and windy at times. Walking was pleasant and we managed as far as Southbank, Federation Square & Flinder St Station.

We also caught up with some friends who are living/working/studying in Melbourne.

We stayed at the Best Western on Straton St, opposite the DFO (Depot Factory Outlet) and within walking distance, across the park to the famous Victoria Market.

We visited the market 3 times, lepas geram from the last time we were in Melbourne as we only managed a single trip then. It was not so much for the shopping but more to see local products and handicrafts and taste the local food.

We travelled together with Prof Shamsul Amri & son Imran (who's studying at RMIT), and Prof Mansur. And we were lucky to have Imran drive us in his Holden to Phillip Island to watch the penguin parade when the little birds come ashore after sunset. It was a magnificent experience!

No photography was allowed near the penguins so here's an image I googled.

The trip was a good break for us to brainstorm on our plans (for us and our family) for these upcoming years. A few good ideas were developed and now awaiting execution.

keluarga al-durra

2009-07-26T09:34:00.009+08:00

Sillatulrahim yang telah terjalin antara rakan-rakan ahli jemaah yang sama-sama menginap di hotel al-dhurra di mekah al-mukarramah tahun lalu adalah luar biasa. Kemungkinan ikatan itu terjalin di dewan makan semasa masing-masing mencari makan dan minum di antara waktu ke masjid dan berehat di bilik. Kebiasaannya di dewan makanlah tempat kita bertanya khabar, tahu siapa yang sakit, siapa dimasukkan ke wad, bertukar-tukar ubat dengan jemaah yang lebih memerlukan, tahu tempat membeli sejadah dan ketayap murah, tempat bertemu & berpakat untuk sewa teksi ke tana'im untuk melalukan umrah sunat dan tempat kami ramai-2 makan nasi mande berkat ahli jemaah yang membuat kenduri.

Kemungkinan juga ikatan itu dieratkan semasa sesi salam-bersalaman dan peluk-berpelukan yang diadakan antara jemaah setiap kali tamat taklimat dan ceramah di basement hotel.

Apapun sebabnya, ramai di antara kami yang tidak langsung mengenali antara satu sama lain sebelum ini, kini menjadi teman rapat, bagaikan satu keluarga dengan hanya menghabiskan 40 hari (yang paling lama) bersama.

Atas keakraban berikutlah, ahli keluarga al-durra (pada 18 Julai 09) telah mengadakan satu reunion di satu kelab di selangor yang dihadiri oleh hampir 40 pasangan/keluarga. Lanjutan daripada itu, semangat yang berkobar-kobar untuk memastikan jalinan kekeluargaan itu berkekalan telah membuahkan beberapa idea termasuk melancarkan e-group dan juga blog.

Maka terlancarlah e-group al-dhura1429 dan blog http://aldurra1429.blogspot.com

snippets of May 09

2009-05-31T09:52:00.008+08:00

30 May ~
The scene was a group of excited ex-students meeting friends from secondary school. The location was a resort in blue lagoon, Port Dickson. The date was the first Saturday of the May school holidays. The reason was a get-together in the Super Gather2 of ex-SMPTLDM boys and girls.

A few of us had met several times, the first reunion was in 1998 in Sri Malaysia PD, then recently in 2007 and again in hulu langat last year. We were together in school in the Lumut naval base and some of us were even together in primary school in kebun teh JB. I guess growing up together during those formative years created a special bond between us.

The gathering was fun and the organisers did a great job! Every little detail was well executed, from the name tags, telematch & games, accommodation and food, and presentation of old photographs. I feel that it ended too soon... even though we communicate daily through our email group, most of us had little time to catch up face to face. I congratulate those who made an effort to be there and I hope friends from JB and Penang will try to come for the next gathering.

29 May ~

The room was a sea of people dressed in blue, sportingly wearing AX's favourite colour, gathered to pay tribute to the head of contracts who retires on 2 June 2009. The event was a representation of this well-liked personality. His staff fondly call him their 'abah' and most were moved to tears during his department's choir rendition of "bila Abah sudah bersara", a rejigged version of the popular song by Hujan.

I chipped in to help with the video presentation which was well received by the audience and I'm glad AX enjoyed it. It was my personal contribution to recognise him as a good colleague and friend. I've known AX for less than 2 years since joining PB but in that short time he has made a lasting impression on me as a caring person who sends me a birthday wish each year. I will also miss his diligent follow-ups to ensure closure to outstanding issues.

We wish AX a Happy Retirement!

8 May ~

Yup, in support and appreciation of our local musicians, AY and I joined our friends Hilmy, Lin and their son to watch JJ & the BDB in concert. I remember watching them on tv a few months ago all puffed out and lacked stamina but the concert that night was indeed not a let down. JJ was the opening act with Rahim Othman before BDB took the stage.

They all gave an energetic performance with fantastic acoustics complementing the KL Symphony Orchestra. Since the venue was a 5 star theatre, the audience had to control themselves from standing in front of the stage to see their favourite stars upclose, although the 5 of us had front row seats ;-) The choice of songs brought back childhood memories and kept everyone singing along. After 20 songs and at curtain time, fans in the hall made a racket requesting for more - BDB obliged with 2 encores.

If it's to be, it's up to me

2009-05-08T13:06:00.006+08:00

Stop blaming, and start doing!!

As a once in-house facilitator for '7 Habits of Highly Effective People' in Faber Medi-Serve Sdn Bhd, I can relate to the concept of "If it's to be, it's up to me" to Habit 1 i.e. "Be Proactive". It is more than just taking initiative to do something before you are told, being proactive is also about being responsible for your own life.

The concept of "If it's to be, it's up to me" as explained during the VOL course discusses being the transition point and saying that "the buck stops here" where negativity, complaints and inefficiencies stops at us and we take the initiative to correct and make good the situation and process - Stop blaming and start doing!

Personally, I find that we also need to have the correct proactive language.

For example:-

- instead of saying "there's nothing I can do about it", we say "I will be an effective leader and make changes"

- instead of saying "company bureaucracy would never allow you to meet the tight project deadline", we say "let's look at alternatives and get it done within company guidelines"

- instead of saying "they never learn from mistakes and keep repeating them in new projects", we say "let us do a post-project learning or post-mortem and create a checklist of bad things to avoid, good things to replicate and ensure that the next project is on-time and on-budget".

snippets of the last 3 weeks

2009-04-11T14:14:00.008+08:00

19 - 20/3 ~ I've learned how to be a super coach! having attended the 2 day Voice of Leadership (VOL) follow-up session, I'm now actively putting my new found skills to practice.. one tip - coaching is not teaching! as this course if part of the Masters in Business Leadership program, there's a 3k word assignment due in 8 weeks and a weekly blog to record learnings. need to focus and not miss the deadline this time!

20/3 ~ AY gave me a birthday treat at MO after waiting in the long queue for AY's iPhone at KLCCcc. it's launch in KL was staged amidst a party complete with street baskers, magic shows, video tutorials and free snacks and drinks. we were there from 6.30 pm and only got the phone around 8pm. security was ridiculously tight around the phone issuing counters but the long queue was well worth it... the iPhone is indeed more than just a phone, ask AY as he'll vouch for it ;-)
Maxis really knows how to throw a party and they have every reason to celebrate, after successfully converting a few hundred hardcore celcom users to maxis overnight, all for the rush of owning an iPhone.

23/3 ~ we applied for domestic help from abroad and she arrived via lcct today. it was quite a kelam-kabut experience for us as we were first-time employers. we only discovered we had to claim her personally at the immigration counter inside the arrival hall after waiting for 2 hours at the gates!! anyhow, a live-in maid by far beats the merry maids who visit every fortnight to clean the apartment. I am quite enjoying being called 'maam' and having someone follow me with the heavy market trolley as I do my monthly grocery shopping. yes, that's living.

5/4 ~ convinced mom-inlaw to come stay with us and brought her home on sunday. she seems to be adjusting well to her routine and our apartment is livened up by her presence and daily reading of the Quran. also, cooking for 4 makes me more creative ;-)

10/4 ~ hosted company visitors from the UAE and accompanied them on their tour of MAB and SkyChef. It was a very educational visit and amongst the interesting facts learned are that SkyChef caters for 35 airlines, has an automatic 'samak' dish washer to maintain its halal kitchen and grills 250,000 sticks of satay (their signature dish) daily. We were hoping they would serve us some during the break but we had sandwiches instead.

Datuk Shah Rukh sayang Ali

2009-03-24T16:20:00.007+08:00

A Satire Piece.. but a good read nonetheless...

Datuk Shahrukh Khan memberitahu India Today hari ini beliau terkejut mendapat berita bahawa Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam dilarang dari bertanding jawatan Timbalan Presiden UMNO. "Kita di Mumbai sangat sayang dekat Datuk Seri Mohd Ali. Tapi ikut undang-undang, apa boleh kita buat." Ketika ditanya apakah beliau tersinggung dan terkilan dengan peristiwa tersebut, tokoh Bollywood yang mendapat gelaran 'Datuk' dari kerajaan Negeri Melaka tersebut telah mengatakan, "Cubit paha kanan, paha kiri juga terasa, tapi kalau takutkan ombak, jangan berumah di tepi pantai," katanya lagi menunjukkan kepakaran berbahasa Melayu.

Beliau juga menyatakan harapan supaya panel rayuan UMNO menerima kembali Mohd Ali dalam senarai calon jawatan nombor dua parti Melayu itu. "Memang saya sependapat dengan KuLi, kerana adalah salah menyekatnya daripada bertanding seperti juga salah menghalangnya daripada membuang undi (dalam pemilihan Umno)."

Datuk Shahrukh Khan yang meminati iklim politik Malaysia khususnya negeri dondang sayang tersebut turut berharap Mohd Ali, yang juga ketua menteri Melaka, tidak meletakkan jawatannya sebagai Ketua Menteri.

"Masih banyak lagi tokoh Bollywood belum diberi anugerah. Saya berharap kawan baik saya Shilpa Shetty dan juga Amitabh Bachan turut diberi anugerah yang sama. Tahun hadapan saya dan Aishwarya Ray merancang untuk membuat pengambaran selama 3 saat di Bukit Katil, jika jadi begini kami mungkin akan memindahkan lokasi pengambaran ke Geneva. Jadi saya berharap beliau akan membuat rayuan kepada Pendaftar Pertubuhan bagi menghalang pemilihan parti itu, yang dijadual minggu depan, jika beliau disekat secara tidak sah daripada pertandingan tersebut. Setidak-tidaknya, rayuannya terhadap hukuman (lembaga disiplin) itu haruslah didengar sebelum pemilihan parti minggu depan."

India Today dimaklumkan kelmarin bahawa Mohd Ali, adalah calon popular untuk jawatan nombor dua Umno, didapati bersalah mengikut Perkara 10.1 Tataetika Ahli Umno yang membabitkan kesalahan pihak ketiga, iaitu ejennya yang didapati bersalah terbabit melakukan sogokan politik.

"Begitulah politik. Macam asam pedas Melaka. Sebab itu saya tak mahu sertai politik. Lebih-lebih lagi di India ini, meskipun sistem demokrasinya lebih baik sikit dari sana. Dalam masa yang sukar begini, saya berharap Datuk Seri Mohd Ali banyak-banyak bersabar. Semoga Allah membantu beliau jua. Bila-bila nanti saya doakan." Tambah Datuk Shahrukh Khan sebelum beliau meneruskan pengambaran untuk filem terbaru beliau berjudul 'Ama Apa, Scapegoat'."

I've misplaced our passports!

2009-03-17T12:39:00.008+08:00

I have always been an organised person (note the past tense!) but I've been slacking... don't ask me why. The last straw was misplacing our passports!

Prior to leaving for Hajj, I had organised all our valuables for safekeeping elsewhere and tucked away our important documents. My mistake was not writing these details down and so when we returned 45 days later, I had forgotten where I had hid them.

yes, it was mental torture living through the last 2 & half months not remembering where I last placed these very important documents... the anxiety was gnawing at me not knowing what I'd do if AY suddenly had to travel someplace at short notice, and didn't have his passport to go!

I had rummaged through the cupboards, weeded out old clothes to give away to reduce the clutter, searched my many handbags, opened all our 'secret compartments', sieved through the dressing table drawers but to no avail.

Then, as though it was an answer to my prayers, a few days ago I received an email from a friend on kaifiat yassin untuk mengembalikan barang yang hilang. Last night after spending the day with aisha & dina (I took the day off), I was calmer, I attempted the search again. With the help of the Almighty, I aimed straight for the towel cabinet and God is Great... there tucked neatly between the folds was the missing pouch containing our passports.

Alhamdulillah, I sujud syukur.
I'm happy and will be sure to join AY on his next trip, no matter where ;-)

frustration is...

2009-03-15T06:40:00.000+08:00

Frustration is....

... when your good intentions are misunderstood, wrongly perceived and accused of interfering

and

... when your efforts are not appreciated and taken for granted

:-(

the thing about weddings

2009-03-10T20:35:00.001+08:00

We attended Samira & Zamri's wedding last night at Dewan Perdana Felda, both are lawyers. The hall and pelamin stage was beautifully decorated with white arches, white roses and chandeliers. It was my first experience attending an Arab-family wedding. It had the usual ceremonial activities plus Arabic dancing! but not the belly-revealing kind la, instead it was performed by men in white jubahs. Samira's niece who was one of our flower girls 9+ years ago was her brides-maid... she's now grown into a pretty teenager that I almost didn't recognise her.

Weddings often bring back memories of our own special day ... observing the tired but happy family members; listening to video presentation of the couple's childhood, the story of how they met and the start of their romance etc. etc.

Organising a wedding is an elaborate affair as it involves everyone in the family, paying attention to the tiniest details such as the ribbon colour on the bunga telur & hantaran, the flavour of our wedding cake, the speech text of the wakil keluarga, the colour of the khemah, the uncle who cooked the briyani choosing quality ingredients, the aunty who made the sambal udang from laut in Pontian and off course our parents who made sure the whole day was special.

... the sentimental amongst us can't help but reminisce on these special events... the first time we met our husband/wife, the courtship when everything was wonderful, the first time we held hands, the time he went on his knees to propose, events that led to the engagement, the rush of emotions that overwhelmed us when the lafaz nikah was complete and the family and friends who were present with presents ;-)

... here's to weddings and beautiful memories

Understanding SARAH

2009-03-09T13:28:00.007+08:00

Recent events surrounding the way the issue of teaching of Maths & Science in English is being dealt with, has reminded me of a concept I picked up from one of the leadership training sessions, known as the SARAH Curve.

Psychologists have named S.A.R.A.H as the acronym of how people behave when receiving bad news and how people react to crisis, illustrated in a "U" shaped curve aka the "SARAH Curve". Unfortunately, most people start at "S", stop at "R", and never get to "H" where they eventually learn to deal with the situation in a more responsible way.

S - “Shock”
No matter how prepared people are for the pending bad news, when it is actually delivered this inevitably is the initial reaction. The shock can be much greater if it comes completely out of the blue. The reaction often is “I just don’t believe it. I knew things were bad but not this bad. I’m shocked”.

A - “Anger”
At this stage, anger is shown at this group, that group or anyone for that matter, maybe because of the way the situation was handled or even because people feel someone else should have done a much better job at managing the crisis, if not preventing it. Or maybe self-directed anger for not seeing the crisis coming earlier, and taking action that deep down you know should have been taken some time ago. The reaction may include "Why are you bringing this matter up now? Why are you all politicising this issue?"

R - “Resentment”
The “Why me?” question is often asked. “Why do I have to deal with this issue? What about those others who had initiated the idea, started the problem and left? Why are other people not given a hard time? Am I the one responsible?"

A - “Acceptance”
Upon reaching this stage positive thinking is beginning to break through and people are now in a position to start looking outward and not inward, forward and not backward. The reaction often is “Well it has happened and there is nothing I can do about it.” Until this point is reached, searching for an alternative solution will be dominated by negative rather than positive emotions.

H - “Hope”
It’s amazing how people begin to accept that there can be a silver lining in every sticky and/or difficult situation. “If I approach this as an opportunity to re-assess my actions and options, not panic and admit my mistakes then there is a good chance I may even earn the public's respect.” It is at this stage that people who have earlier been put in the spot manage their future and turn around with much more optimism and enthusiasm.

budak setinggan menang oscar

2009-03-06T18:35:00.011+08:00

this was the headline that caught my attention in the malay papers a few weeks ago... literally translated to "squatter boy wins oscar".

This movie bagged 8 oscars including Best Picture, placing it at par with 'Dances with Wolves', 'Titanic' and 'Lord of The Rings'... pretty awesome huh.

All in all, 'The Slumdog Millionaire' is a love story, about the love of a boy towards a girl whom he grew up with in the slum but were cruelly separated. The interesting twist in the plot is that this boy entered the local version of "Who wants to be a millionaire" not to win the cash prize but to find the girl whom he knows loves watching the programme.

Elements of brotherhood & family ties, the need to do anything to survive, moral & integrity are weaved into the plot and in true bollywood fashion, the movie ends with a tragic death, a romantic reunion between boy and girl at the train station and off course not forgetting the group dance complete with multiple costume change.

Overall review:

"should watch or be left out in coffee-shop conversations"

relax, reflect and respond

2009-03-05T18:33:00.001+08:00

pejam-celik, we're already in March... did we not notice time fly by being too busy with our worldly pursuits, busy fighting and struggling for power, busy proving you're right and they're wrong, busy keeping our heads above water or just dok nganga (as my penang family would say)...

whatever we did, it's not too late to take a few minutes to reflect before we sink into obliviousity (is there such a word?) and realise that another month and year has passed by.

65 days have passed in 2009, let's think... how many times did we call our mom, how many times have we procrastinated the household chores, how many pages of the Quran have we read, how many friends have we kept in contact with, how many times did we scream at our children, how many kilos have we gained, how many people did we teach/coach/help, how are we progressing with our new year resolutions, what lessons in life have we learned...

...jot down your answers, reflect, and respond appropriately so that we won't have the same regrets and so that we can celebrate greater achievements the next time we relax and reflect on the past 65 days

blood is ticker than water

2009-02-20T22:55:00.002+08:00

Family...
... the reason we base most of our decisions on
... the reason we come home at the end of each day
... the first & ultimate beneficiary of our hard earned income
... the people we fall back on in times of need
... the people we want to celebrate life with
... the people we hurt the most

As the saying goes...

"You can choose your friends but you cannot choose your family"

We spend a great deal of time showing those we love that they will always have their family no matter what happens, but sometimes this is taken for granted. One thing that should not and cannot be doubted is the love we have for our family. Because we care and love our family, it is more difficult to face-up, confront and reason with family members as they are your biggest critique and challenger. Ironically this is so because we have the best interest of the family at heart.

Open communication is very important in a family and we should rely on our family to warn us in advance before we hit the wall or fall flat down on our face. It is because we are comfortable with each other and bear no boundaries in our relationship that drives us to tell it as it is, without sugar-coating it and without exercising tact.

On the receiving end, we tend to be extra sensitive to the comments and concerns voiced by our own family and it is often more difficult to accept. The bitter pill would be even more harsh and choking to swallow. As the giver, we forget that this "direct approach" hurts the receiver.

So the moral of the story...
- we should exercise extra emphathy when communicating with family members, treat them the way we'd like to be treated
- do consider the comments and concerns voiced by family members, knowing that it is for the best interest of the family
- consider that although some older family members do not have direct authority over all of the younger ones, experience and observations should provide credibility to the issue raised and coupled with of course, the love and deep concern for the young one's future

Haji Sebagai Satu Konvensyen Agong

2009-01-09T18:36:00.004+08:00

Kita boleh bayangkan bahawa ibadah Haji itu umpama satu Konvensyen Agong yang terbesar yang menghimpunkan berjuta umat Islam dari seluruh dunia yang mendapat jemputan dari Allah swt untuk menunaikan ibadah Haji. Yuran bagi Konvensyen ini tidak ada yang tetap kerana dari setinggi-tinggi darjat Raja Saudi sehinggalah serendah-rendah darjat manusia yang mungkin datangnya dari Nigeria, atau dari Amerika Syarikat, apabila berada di padang Arafah, semuanya sama di sisi Allah s.wt. Semua yang hadir ke Konvensyen ini harus memakai kain ihram, iaitu dua keping kain putih bagi kaum lelaki dan telekung bagi kaum wanita.

Raja Arab Saudi juga perlu memakai dua keping kain putih yang tidak berjahit, begitu juga dengan lelaki dari Nigeria ataupun lelaki dari New York, USA. Tidak ada bezanya. Baik jemaah muasasah Tabung Haji, ataupun yang datang dengan pakej Al-Maas TH Travel yang berharga RM100,000 seorang. Semua harus tawaf tujuh kali mengelilingi Kaabah dan saie dari Bukit Safa ke Marwah sebanyak tujuh kali. Semuanya harus berwukuf di Arafah dan bertahalul, bercukur atau menggunting rambut. Tidak ada yang dikecualikan.

Tidak ada ”double standard” dalam Islam. Raja, Menteri, orang kenamaan, ahli perniagaan, nelayan, petani dan rakyat marhaen, semuanya sama. Pangkat dan darjat di dunia seperti Tuanku, Tengku, Tun, Tan Sri, Datuk, Datin tidak penting di Tanah Haram. Semuanya, kalau mendapat jemputan dari Allah swt, dan dipilih sudah pasti akan dapat hadir sebagai tetamu Allah untuk melihat keagungan Kaabah dan menghayati sendiri kehebatannya.

Dalam keadaan yang ribut dengan jutaan manusia. Ada yang bermata biru, ada yang berambut perang, ada yang berkulit sawo matang dan ada juga yang cacat tubuh badan tetapi setiap manusia yang datang pastinya menyerah diri, memohon keampunan dari Allah s.w.t.

Cuma yang membezakan antara jemaah yang akan pulang dengan Haji Mabrur, Haji Maksus, Haji Makbul, ataupun yang paling malang sekali mendapat Haji Mardud adalah niat setiap dari kita, persediaan yang kita buat, pembersihan yang dilakukan dengan ikhlas, pengabdian kepada yang Maha Esa, pengamalan ibadah kita di Madinah, Makkah, Arafah dan Mina, penghayatan setiap amalan yang dilaksanakan serta peningkatan ilmu dan ibadah yang kita cari. Pastinya mereka memohon kebahagian dan rezeki yang bertambah. Apa pun yang diminta pastinya Allah s.w.t. yang Maha Pengasih dan Maha Pemurah akan memakbulkan permintaan hamba-hambaNya.

~ ini adalah sebahagian daripada penulisan saya dan suami semasa berada di tanah suci yang akan dibukukan di bawah tajuk "Mencari Cinta Sejati, 7 Prinsip pengabdian diri dalam haji dan umrah"... nantikannya di pasaran tahun ini. InsyaAllah ~

we're home!

2008-12-29T09:34:00.001+08:00

Alhamdulillah we're home!

There's a lot to tell... so watch this space in the next few days...

Salam

latest project

2008-11-03T13:34:00.006+08:00

after a 1 1/2 hour session with my friend Nora, learning 3 simple techniques (bunga, daun & tali air) I've completed my latest personal project .... beading

my first attempt ;-)

under the weather

2008-10-22T11:27:00.003+08:00

I've been feeling under the weather :-(

And hope it passes soon

I have a long list of to-do's to clear

Both at work and at home

I've had little rest or sleep

Coughing each hour in the night

Need to be healthy for our big trip

There's less than 3 weeks before our flight

the latest YB in the family

2008-10-19T10:11:00.003+08:00

I proudly welcome princess nana to our family of YBs ("Yang Berblog"). I hope the other baby in the family will soon follow suit and start sharing her thoughts with the world.

politik wang = rasuah politik

2008-10-15T18:59:00.000+08:00

AY says money politics ("politik wang") is actually corruption in politics ("rasuah politik")....

Want to hear more about this topic, tune-in to Astro Awani (Astro channel 501) this Friday 17 October 2008 at 9pm.

wallscapes at klcc

2008-10-12T10:07:00.005+08:00

photo from the Petronas Gallery website

We were at KLCC yesterday and took a stroll into the Petronas art gallery to view the Merdeka wallscape exhibition, on its last day. The highlight was the masterpiece by Wang Xu and Shen Jiawei who were commissioned to commemorate Malaysia's 51st year of Independence.

They created a mural comprising of 12 pieces, portraying figures in a historical timeline starting from pre-Independence and illustrates the culture and lifestyle of the changing times. It allows one to narrate the roles each individual has played in the making of Malaysia's history.

The work was fantastic and captured the Brits (inc. Templer, Brooke), Malaysian politicians, athletes (inc. Nicol David & Shalin Zulkifli), artists (inc. P.Ramlee, Sudirman, Ramli Ibrahim) and other personalities (inc. LAT, Marina Mahathir, Azah Aziz & even Karim Raslan?). I wonder why the artists excluded the meeting btw Tunku & the Queen??

We were restricted from taking any photos, but we have the picture above (from the gallery's website) and the brochure we took home.

about sunflowers

2008-10-11T21:15:00.001+08:00

The image I've selected as this month's blog header is from our garden in hulu langat. This amazing plant can grow up to 3 m tall, and this one had grown up to the level of my nose!!

From wikipedia, I've compiled some facts about the sunflower...

* The stem can grow as high as 3 metres, and the flower head can reach 30 cm in diameter with "large" seeds

* What is usually called the flower is actually a head of numerous florets (small flowers) crowded together. The outer florets are the sterile ray florets and can be yellow, maroon, orange, or other colors. The florets inside the circular head are called disc florets, which mature into what are traditionally called "sunflower seeds", but are actually the fruit of the plant. The inedible husk is the wall of the fruit and the true seed lies within the kernel.

* The Mathematicians out there will love this ... The florets within the sunflower's cluster are arranged in a spiraling pattern, typically each floret is oriented toward the next by approximately the golden angle, producing a pattern of interconnecting spirals the number of left spirals and the number of right spirals are successive Fibonacci numbers. Typically, there are 34 spirals in 1 direction and 55 in the other; on a very large sunflower you may see 89 in one direction and 144 in the other.

* Sunflower seeds are sold as a snack food (which my niece Aisha loves) and sunflowers are also processed into a peanut butter alternative, Sunbutter ;-)

* Sunflower oil, extracted from the seeds, is used for cooking and to produce margerine and biodiesel.. its also a cheaper alternative to olive oil and contains a higher level of healthy monounsaturated fats

* The flowers are not just grown as ornamental plants, but farmers use it to reduce bird damage and losses from plant diseases

* Sunflowers also produce latex and are being tested as an alternative crop for producing hypoallergenic rubber

* And off course, it is the subject of Van Gogh's famous paintings

Di dunia menyemai... di akhirat menuai

2008-10-07T17:56:00.003+08:00

got this from a raya card from a friend...

Pada yang empunya harta melimpah

Hulurkanlah zakat dan sedekah

Pada yang gagah sihat dan kuat

Berilah tenaga dan keringat

~*~

Pada yang berbakat dan cendikiawan

Murahlah dengan khidmat dan pengajaran

Pada yang miskin dan kesempitan

Bersedekahlah dengan senyuman

~*~

Semua kita harus pemurah

Memberi bukan untuk bermegah

Tetapi itulah perintah Allah

Sebagai perantara rahmat dan barakah

~*~

Di dunia menyemai kebaikan

Di akhirat nanti menuai keredhaan

Di sini tempat bekerja memerah tenaga

Di sana tempat berehat menikmati syurga

~*~

Ramadhan itu medan mujahadah

Agar di Syawal kembali ke fitrah

Perjuangan memang pahit kerana syurga it manis

Ramadhan itu bagai 'dunia' menempuh ujian

Syawal itu umpama 'akhirat' menempah kejayaan!

Diana Krall in KL

2008-10-03T09:50:00.001+08:00

Thanks to Adek (for getting us complimentary VIP seats) & Pa (for giving up those great seats), we got to watch Diana Krall LIVE in KL last night... sorry sis, there were no t-shirts on sale...

... now that's what I call Real JAZZ !!

Raya in Penang

2008-10-01T16:19:00.005+08:00

It has been agreed between us that we celebrate the first day of Hari Raya Aidil Fitri at both our mom's houses. Each year, we take turns spending the first part of the day, either in PJ or in Penang and promise to be at the other mom's place before evening ... of course the only way to do this is to fly. This year is Penang's turn.

We arrived in Penang on a wet Monday afternoon, the weather was gloomy the whole day but it was nice and cool in the Kg Makam house... macam di England ;-). Mom even had on socks. It rained the whole night too and it was no surprise when Kak Ina called us after subuh informing us that the river behind Kg Makam had overflowed into the neighbours' houses.

Water came in from under the front door and in seconds drenched the carpet before we could save it. Everyone went into ''banjir mode'' and knew exactly what to do... AY moved the car to higher ground... Bu immediately got out the small plastic chairs and with Izmil's help, raised the furniture to rest on them... Mom saved the Quran...and me? well, it was my first experience... but instinctively I prioritised moving books and clothes from the lower shelves and moved the cushioned sofas and chairs to the landing... however, what I was not prepared for were the creepy crawlies i.e. lipan and cacing that also washed in with the ayaq bah.

We then waited upstairs, anxiously watching the water level in case it overflows into the kitchen. It rained continuously and the kampung children were having fun playing in the water in the rain. The water finally subsided around 2.30 pm and that's when the fun for us adults began, with the cleaning up after ;-)

It was Raya eve and luckily we didn't have much cooking to do. We managed to clean up in time for buka puasa. The masjid distributed food to the other kampung folk who were unable to cook. Hari Raya in Penang this year was still meriah and certainly memorable!

Selamat Hari Raya Eidul Fitr'

2008-09-26T11:15:00.000+08:00

Kepada semua ahli keluarga, rakan sekerja, sahabat-handai, kenalan...

www.ayysa.com

towering or collapsing?

2008-09-23T13:30:00.003+08:00

"Roboh UiTM, Roboh Melayu & Bumiputera"

bukan saya kata, billboard besar di depan masjid universiti ni yang kata...

persoalannya:

**adakah keteguhan sesuatu bangsa itu hanya berpaksikan pada kewujudan sesebuah universiti ?

**kenapa tidak ambil kesempatan ini untuk muhasabah diri dan tingkatkan proses-2 dan standards yang sedia ada agar UiTM kembali ke zaman kegemilangannya dan melahirkan towering personalities yang bersaing di arena glocal ?

**adakah ada sebilangan orang Melayu yang lebih Melayu dari golongan Melayu yang lain, hingga hak memperjuangkan bangsa hanya terletak di bahu mereka dan tidak boleh dipersoalkan ?

**adakah kita menghargai & memperakui golongan cerdik pandai Melayu/Bumiputera kita semasa hayat mereka ?

~ fikirkanlah! ~

My dearest little Sister

2008-09-22T16:40:00.011+08:00

13 September 2008

My little Sister turned the corner over 30 last weekend. A career woman and mother of 4 amazing children, she is a person who has a lot of love to share.

When she was younger, I remember her as the timid and sensitive little girl who kept things to herself but would get anything and everything she wished for. Being the youngest girl, Ayah would spoil her silly and she had him twisted around her little finger... most times that would be the reason for our sibling rivalry. We realised later of course that Ayah spoilt all 4 of us, equally! ;-)

Today, she has grown into a beautiful and confident young woman. She is relied upon to keep her office administration in order, is able to deal with government officers from all levels, shows her commitment in completing any task assigned to her - even if it involves staying late at work till the wee hours of the morning, and still balance and manage her family with 4 growing children - providing them with the love, attention and care that they are always hungry for.

I called her from Penang that morning to sing her birthday song. Although this entry is 9 days overdue, I wanted to wait till I had a bit more time to compose a proper birthday wish as otherwise it would not do her justice.

My dearest little Sister:

I love you for your beautiful heart,

I admire you for raising the Fantastic 4 well,

I envy you for being their favourite mom,

I am proud of your personal development,

... and most of all, I care for you with all my heart

Happy Birthday!

with lots of hugs and kisses from your eldest sis. MUAH

***

the week that was...

2008-09-21T23:33:00.004+08:00

blog ni dah hampir bersawang... tanpa entry sekian lama... Let's see, as an update here's what has been keeping me pre-occupied this past week:-

* 13 & 14 Ramadhan - spent the weekend in Penang: berpuasa, berbuka and bersahur with mom and the rest of warga Kg Makam. brought back a lot of presents.. and it's not even my birthday ;-) Flew in to Penang and drove home with Abg Zul & Kak Eda (in their new & very comfortable car) who coincidentally had meetings to attend in KL. Started our journey after Isya' around 9.40 pm and got home and slept close to 2 am that morning after sahur etc.

* the rest of the week was filled with discussions on next year's strategic plan... the annual cycle of performing internal, external, market and other analyses has started again.. sigh. The strategic planning process usually interests me but lately it has become a bit of a drag especially when the benefits of going through all the analyses and strategy templates get lost in translation and seen as a mere academic exercise... looks like I need to expand my circle of influence and get the relevant others to see the benefit too...

* 20 & 21 Ramadhan - On Saturday we had an ustaz come over for an exclusive 2 hour kursus - it was both a refresher course and learning of valuable knowledge to guide us through our journey in 2 months time.

On Sunday, took some time for myself and had a pampering half day, indulging in facial and a stroll through MV. bought some raya cookies and shoes for myself!! In the afternoon, AY offered to accompany me shopping for baju raya. After about 2 hours in Ampang Park, we left as I couldn't convince myself to spend on the sweet blue thai silk kurung moden which I liked as it fit me perfectly save for the kain which is a bit singkat... AY was a darling as he didn't complain a single syllable throughout the entire ordeal. The reward was a trip to pasar datuk keramat for buka puasa delights ;-) We bought all our favourites: nasi kerabu, roti john, kueh-mueh and cakoi.

* We had looked forward to both IA & IN spending the weekend with us but only IA showed up Friday nite with Bubu. Even chicken divine couldn't lure the princess from Gombak to take some time off studying for her quiz this week. I hope we get to spend some time with her at our place this weekend before they both leave for the Raya break.

Tok Chu pulang ke Rahmatullah

2008-09-11T13:22:00.003+08:00

9 Ramadhan ~ got a call from Mom right after buka puasa with the news that our beloved Tok Chu is no longer with us. She passed away seconds after azan maghrib, collapsing on the dinner table just as she was about to bite into a kurma. Tok Chu is the youngest sibling of mom's mother, Hjh Hamidah. Before her passing, she was our last surviving grandaunt.

We have fond memories of her for being insistent on maintaining her old ways. Like all grand parents, she prefers to stay in her own home in Senggarang even after her husband passed away and cooks using the good old wood stove. Her daughters will take turns keeping her company. We love her cooking and during Hari Raya, hers would usually be the last house we visit before driving home to KL after visiting relatives in JB & Pontian. It is amazing how we could expand our stomachs and make room for her authentic asam pedas and sambal tumis udang even after eating at various houses the whole day. She also used to love drinking 7-Up float (with milk, not ice cream of course), which we suspect was her secret to living healthy up to her 80's. Her daughter told Mom that she fills her days reading the Quran and khatam every 4-5 days. I personally have missed her and last saw her about 2 years ago when she came to visit her children in KL.

We were unable to follow the convoy of cars to Senggarang on Tuesday night but our doa and bacaan yaasin was for her. Al-Fatihah. Semoga Allah mencucuri rahmat ke atas rohnya.

travel collectibles

2008-09-08T18:03:00.005+08:00

here we are... was bored and had nothing interesting to do a couple of weeks ago, so I rearranged my fridge magnet collection in alpha-order... ;-)

~ abu dhabi ~ australia ~ berlin ~ brisbane ~ bulgaria ~ bukit merah ~ beijing ~ cheddar gorge (sommerset) ~ egypt ~ germany ~ holland ~ hong kong ~ kuwait ~ langkawi ~ london ~ manila ~ melaka ~ melbourne ~ munich ~ new york ~ oxford ~ passau ~ perth ~ philippines ~ switzerland ~ sydney ~ sabah ~ sarawak ~ terengganu ~ stonehenge ~ vienna ~ venice ~ warsaw ~

p/s: my feet are itching to travel and collect more magnets OR I should count on more traveling friends bringing me souvenirs ...hmm

To AY

2008-09-04T14:06:00.000+08:00

To AY, thank you for 9 wonderful years!

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

2008-08-31T07:24:00.000+08:00

promo: 30 Ogos 08, saluran astro 501

2008-08-27T07:55:00.001+08:00

Saksikan Program Perspektif Kita pada Sabtu, 30 Ogos jam 8.30 malam di saluran Astro AWANI 501:

"Pemuda Sebagai Pemangkin Integriti Politik Negara"

Panel Jemputan :

Anis Yusal Yusoff, Pengarah Sektor Politik, Inst. Integriti Malaysia
Ibrahim Suffian,Pengarah, Merdeka Centre
YB Look Siew Fook (Ahli Parlimen Rasah - DAP)
Latt Sharizan Abdullah.

Siar semulanya pada hari Ahad 31 Ogos, 10.00 pagi & 3.30ptg; Selasa 2 Sept, 3.30ptg dan Khamis 4 Sept, 3.30petang

My Day Off

2008-08-26T18:00:00.009+08:00

No, this is not a UFO...it is one of the giant stingrays swimming in the glass aquarium at Aquaria KL, where I spent my day off last Friday with the kids.

They had a wonderful time after spending the entire school holiday week not doing much at home. Luckily Mak Dek came as I couldn't have managed with 5 active kids on my own.

The 3 older ones had visited the Aquaria earlier with their school excursion so they comfortably fit in the role as guides to us adults, being very familiar with the layout and attractions. Their favourite was the glass tunnel and after going through the walkalator 5 times, I think everyone had their fair share of stingrays and sharks!!!

MAHA etc.

2008-08-24T00:24:00.010+08:00

I would firstly like to thank those who left a comment on the "bangsa saya" posting.

It's fruit season in Hulu Langat... starting with pulasan (see photo), durian, jambu, manggis and this week it was rambai galore!

Talking about fruits, Adek & Li brought us to MAHA on Saturday night. I was curious to find out what this annual exhibition had to offer and dragged AY along. We left about an hour after closing the cafe but traffic was at a near standstill entering the expo site (they should leave traffic management to the professionals lah!, for eg. those guys in orange working on the expressway ;-) ) and by the time we parked our car, it was almost 8.30pm, half an hour before closing. It was at the entrance that we discovered that it was the last day and so we rushed to the level 1 expo floor.

From then on, it was everyone for themselves... Adek & Li and AY & I split ways in order to get maximum floor coverage. Everything was going on 'lelong' basis as the sellers wanted to clear their stock. So here's a tip: visit MAHA on the last day to enjoy low prices ;-0 I was quite impressed with the number of local products that MARDI had commercialised through SMEs which have good export quality. Everything can be packaged and frozen or freeze-dried nowadays, from kuah gulai asam pedas, briyani to karipap.

There was also a variety of plants and seedlings that were on sale but it was too late to purchase any. Anyway, here's a snapshot of some of our purchases - kerepek, cookies, raisins, udang galah, fish burger, frozen martabak/cucur badak/karipuff and lots more...

2008-08-21T10:02:00.000+08:00

dinner last night... yum yum edamame

The Land Scam debate

2008-08-21T08:58:00.006+08:00

Congratulations to Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and Dato (oopps belum lagi)... Mr Lim Guan Eng for a great show last night. Both were articulate, professional and provided the public at least a fraction of an explanation into the accusations of mis-management by the previous Penang state government. This is the kind of open debate that the rakyat would like to hear vis-a-vis the other kind of open debate that hits below the belt and rife with innuendos.

In the interest of transparency, let's have more open discussions such as last night. Hear Ye!

bangsa saya

2008-08-20T13:09:00.006+08:00

Banyak yang telah diperkatakan sejak seminggu yang lalu tentang universiti untuk melayu, mempertahankan hak melayu, melindungi peluang yang diwujudkan untuk orang melayu dan lain-lain persoalan yang sewaktu dengannya.

Keadaan sekarang mengingatkan saya kepada waktu saya di sekolah. Saya dan adik bersekolah di 'base' mengikut bapa saya, seorang pegawai tentera laut yang telah ditukarkan ke Pengkalan TLDM di Lumut, Perak. Saya ke SM Pengkalan TLDM dan adik saya ke SRPTLDM. Di sekolah ini tidak ada jurang antara pelajar melayu dan bukan melayu, mungkin kerana anak-anak Navy telah dididik oleh bapa-bapa mereka untuk sama-sama berjuang demi Negara, tak kira bangsa dan agama. Selepas SRP, saya bersama beberapa kawan-2 telah dihantar ke SM Ahmad Boestamam (SMAB) di pekan Sitiawan kerana sekolah base tidak menawarkan kelas sains. Lain pula ceritanya di sini.

Saya dan kawan-2 dari base telah diberi layanan dingin oleh pelajar-2 melayu kerana kami lebih rapat berkawan dengan pelajar-2 berbangsa cina yang datang dari Pulau Pangkor yang lebih competitive dan tidak lokek berkongsi nota pelajaran. Saya sendiri telah meningkatkan kebolehan menyelesaikan masalah Add Maths melalui study group bersama mereka, sementara pelajar-pelajar melayu yang lain sibuk menghantar surat-2 wangi untuk berkenalan dsbnya ... maaf cerita bab ini untuk lain masa ye...;-)

Selepas A-Levels, saya memilih City University di London, salah satu sebabnya kerana jumlah pelajar melayu yang terendah berbanding universiti lain yang mempunyai perkampungan orang melayu. Jangan salah faham, saya tidak lupa bangsa cuma keputusan ini saya ambil demi masa depan saya sendiri. Mungkin anda ada mendengar tentang pelajar melayu graduan universiti Amerika dan England yang pulang dengan ijazah tetapi masih tidak fasih berbahasa inggeris... bagaimana itu terjadi.. bak kata Nabil, lu fikir la sendiri!

Sebagai orang melayu yang sayangkan bangsanya, saya telah memberi khidmat sebagai pensyarah sambilan di sebuah "universiti melayu" untuk beberapa semester. Saya lakukannya sebagai amal jariah saya atau personal Social Responsibility untuk menolong anak bangsa saya. Bayarannya pun tak seberapa, mungkin sebab itu ia tak dapat menarik lebih ramai pensyarah yang lebih berwibawa dan credible. Melalui pemerhatian saya, anak bangsa kita memang memerlukan all the help they can get dan saya amat sedih. Bagaimana agaknya mereka akan bangun untuk berdaya saing secara terbuka dengan bangsa, maupun negarawan lain?

Sempena bulan kemerdekaan ini, marilah kita sama-sama me-merdekakan minda kita dan merdekakan 'reliance' kita terhadap subsidi, hand-outs dan perlindungan. Marilah kita ambil challenge untuk berjuang on a level-playing field dengan bangsa lain. Bila kita sedar kita terkebelakang, barulah kita akan berusaha untuk kedepan, harap-2 begitulah.

15 August 2008

2008-08-15T14:24:00.017+08:00

15 August 2008 is an auspicious date for several reasons. In the sports news today Malaysia is provided a glimpse of hope that at least one of our athletes has what it takes to put up a decent fight for a gold medal. The RM1 million carrot is perhaps not juicy enough to make our athletes even salivate, what more drool for gold.... but then again I could be wrong as there are still a few more days in the Olympics.

Secondly, today marks my 1 year anniversary in Propel. 12 months has whooshed by and kept me busy with the 5 Cs - much time has been spent assimilating to the Culture of a different company within the Group, understanding the structure, its business processes, its people and cultural nuances - to earn their recognition and be accepted. It's always tough being the new kid on the block. I have been occupied absorbing information and acquiring knowledge and Content of another aspect of Facilities Management Commerce i.e. infrastructure maintenance as opposed to hospital maintenance - the former involves being in the centre of live traffic to ensure a safe and comfortable highway for road users and the latter involves maintaining medical equipment which are depended upon to save lives.

I have expanded by network of Contacts to include other staff in this large conglomerate where I've been earning a living for the past 14 years and the icing on the cake is my personal Career development. I am enthrusted with an interesting portfolio which advantageously facilitates my understanding of this company and play an active role in promoting it and plan for its future. Two dedicated and efficient ladies have taken the place of 20 people for me to supervise and develop, and assist me in fulfilling my deliverables to the company. I thank God for continuing to be blessed.

Today is also the deadline for AY and I to top-up our account with TH. It was a challenging day for both of us yesterday as the morning started with me coming in late to work due my car's flat battery and later in the afternoon both our patience and tolerance levels were tested by the Bank's atm machine which could only receive 10 notes at a time, forcing us to repeat the transaction 7 times!! Alhamdulillah, with God's blessings and some quick smart thinking ;-) we managed to complete the transaction at 2 pm at another branch. So now, we pray hard and hope to receive that long awaited special invitation to visit Baitullah.

And of course, I did not forget... Happy Birthday Izmil!

movie reviews

2008-08-07T13:48:00.005+08:00

MADE OF HONOUR - Yup, this is a "chick-flick" overflowing with Patrick 'McDreamy' Dempsey, romance, comedy, royal castles, dukes and to top it all, some parts of the movie was filmed in my birthplace Scotland!! This is a typical story about a boy who meets a girl, likes the girl but insist on remaining as good friends but later realise that he loves her when he's about to lose her. The moral of the story: platonic relationships do not exist. My review: ****

JOHN HANCOCK - Will Smith has proven his versatility yet again and looks good too in his superhero outfit. Starring as a bum turned superhero, this story has an interesting spin which breaks the expectations of a typical superhero movie. My review: ***

SEX IN THE CITY - Warning! This movie carries an 21SX rating (yes, 21!) and was rather dissapointing as it was nothing more than an extended version of the series. Nevertheless, there were some teary moments and the wardrobe especially wedding dresses are beautiful. Another consolation is that we finally know Mr Big's real name. My review: **

GET SMART - I found it boring... maybe its because I was not around when Mel Brooks' tv series was so popular in the 1960's. Anne Hathaway's acting was a bit stiff as Agent 99 and the gadgets too are so 1960's. Watch out for the part where Agent 99 takes off her shoes to go through a storm drain. She miraculously has them back on after a fight eventhough she didn't carry them with her??!! My review: *

Song of the Month - I'm Yours

2008-08-03T23:38:00.004+08:00

I was first introduced to this song by our cousin in cairo as she had it as the background song on her blog... I love the catchy beat and cool lyrics (see below).

I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks, now I'm tryin to get back
before the cool done run out I'll be givin it my best test
and nothin's gonna stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some
But I won't hesitate no more, no more, it cannot wait
I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing
We're just one big family
And it's our godforsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved
So, i won't hesitate no more, no more, it cannot wait i'm sure
there's no need to complicate our time is short
this is our fate
I'm yours

I've been spendin' way too long checkin' my tongue in the mirror
and bendin' over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
and so I drew a new face and I laughed
I guess what I'd be sayin' is there ain't no better reason
to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons
it's what we aim to do
our name is our virtue
But I won't hesitate no more, no more it cannot wait
I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you will find that the sky is yours
so please don't, please don't, please don't,
there's no need to complicate,
Cause our time is short
This, this, this is our fate,
I'm yours

Happy Birthday Kak Long!

2008-08-01T15:10:00.005+08:00

Hari ini adalah ulangtahun hari kelahiran kakak ipar saya yang disayangi. Entry ini didedikasi khas untuknya. Jika dia membaca blog ini dia tentu hairan tentang tajuk entry ini kerana saya maupun adik-adiknya tidak pernah memanggilnya dengan gelaran Kak Long.

Pada saya, dia memiliki ciri-ciri seorang Kakak sulong yang benar-benar menjaga sekalian makhluk kesayangannya terutamanya ibu, suami, adik-adik dan anak-anak, bagai menatang minyak yang penuh, sentiasa mengalah dan mendahulukan kepentingan dan kebahagiaan kami semua sebelum dirinya. Jarang sekali kami dengar rintihan atau keluhan darinya kerana semua itu disimpan jauh di dalam hatinya yang sangat besar itu.

Sempena ulangtahun hari kelahiran yang ke-50 ini, kami doakan agar Kak Ina sentiasa mendapat rahmat, restu, berkat, perlindungan dan rezeki dari Yang Maha Esa. Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.

little adek is 4

2008-07-24T17:46:00.005+08:00

Little Princess Hannah Maisara celebrated her 4th birthday last night and the house was a splash of pink, being the birthday girl's fav colour. We were told that even the lychees on the pretty pink birthday cake her mama made were nearly dipped in pink ink!

All 6 power rangers enjoyed themselves with party packs, balloons and they too each got presents from their Mak Dek who raided the toy warehouse earlier in the week.

A week ago, she had given us a wishlist of presents - amongst them was a cooking set, a doll house and a school bag. Last weekend, she asked her mama to mms her Umi this photo that she took while shopping at the mall. This barbie school bag was Umi & Walid's present for the little princess... and yes, she got everything else on her wishlist plus much more!

umar dah boleh jalan

2008-07-23T17:36:00.000+08:00

yes, little Umar dah boleh jalan (his mama wrote about it in her blog) and we were the first to witness him take his little steps last weekend. his mama was slogging over a tender preparation at work and left us to baby-sit him. he's so adorable... teasing us to catch him if he falls and when he finally got the hang of taking those steps, he did it over and over to show us that he could. ahhhh, these kids grow up so fast!

the one that didn't get away

2008-07-17T17:18:00.000+08:00

this is the ikan keli or catfish that my bro-inlaw managed to fish out of our pond last weekend... ain't he a big one (yes, it's a he).

it's now swimming happily, charming all the female catfish in its new home in the figure 8 pool up front as an additional attraction to the cafe.

oh yes, the debate...

2008-07-16T17:33:00.005+08:00

frankly, I wasn't expecting much from the debate so I took my time coming home from a pampering 2 hour facial and another hour detour to the supermarket to stock up the pantry and fridge at home...arriving home around 9.15 pm with dinner and fluffing my dearest in the process.

many have viewed their opinions about it over emails, blogs, coffee shop talks, and pre-meeting fillers... this is my thot:-

as a citizen and consumer, I am dissapointed that the debate didn't address nor solve the issue of rising prices of oil and its effect on families, homes and business...and neither did it properly debate the given title.
In the end we should just call it what it is - a staging of 2 politicians promoting their personal agendas and gaining publicity - Shabery appearing as the UMNO fall-guy or hero (depends on which side you're looking from) & Anwar satisfying his craving for the limelight over local tv after all these years.

.

duel over fuel

2008-07-14T13:35:00.000+08:00

the Shabery vs Anwar debate tomorrow is leaving everyone guessing on the arguments to be put forth by both sides... Malaysia waits in anticipation, or not

of books and coincidences

2008-07-14T08:08:00.001+08:00

AY and I raided the bookstore at Bangsar Village last night. We haven't been out to the malls or the bookstores in awhile. The following books made it to my shopping cart:-

* John Grisham's "Playing for Pizza" - apparently I missed this one, published in Sept 07
* Azizi Ali's first novel, a thriller titled "Ekuinoks" - I was curious... will write a review when I'm done reading

* "Obama - From Promise to Promise" - to learn more about this man who might be the next US President

* "The EY Business Plan Writing Guide" - for reference
* A gift boxset

AY bought 5 books from the politics, Malaysiana and hobby sections. When we both got to the cashier,both our bills came to exactly RM160.80 - what are the odds of that happening, an amazing coincidence! ... If our good friend Mr Hari from UNDP were around, I'm sure he'd be placing a bet on this number at the speed of a blink ;-)

when brothers publicly disagree

2008-07-12T08:37:00.000+08:00

source: theedgedaily.com
11-07-2008: Nazir disagrees with DPM's claim by Racheal Lee Mei Nyee

KUALA LUMPUR: CIMB Group Sdn Bhd's chief executive Datuk Seri Nazir Razak disagreed with the government which said that international investor confidence is not swayed by the current cloudy political outlook.

"It is very important for the political situation to settle down. I’m sorry but I disagree with the deputy prime minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) saying that international investor confidence is not affected,” the younger brother of the DPM told reporters on July 11. Read full story.

hotel di PP

2008-07-07T20:46:00.006+08:00

sedih... inilah perasaan saya apabila melihat keadaan hotel yang pernah suatu ketika dahulu menjadi kebanggaan syarikat kami, berubah rupa setelah ditukar-milik kepada syarikat lain.

saya mengambil cuti hari jumaat lepas untuk ke pulau pinang mengiringi suami pulang melawat bonda tercinta... kebetulan dia ada kerja di sungai petani. kami menginap di hotel yang boleh saya katakan saya kenali secara intim kerana ia telah saya teliti dan periksa dari segi operasi harian dan tadbir-urus dari front office hingga ke back-of-house semasa berkhidmat di jabatan audit dalaman dulu.

saya sedih melihat keadaan carpet di bilik yang bertanda, hidangan buffet yang terhad pilihan hidangannya dan paling teruk sekali tilam katil yang sudah hilang spring dan melendut, menyebabkan saya sakit belakang sepanjang minggu. namun apakan daya, saya cuma sekadar boleh 'vent out' dalam blog ini, beri komen dalam 'customer feedback form', serta berharap agar pihak pengurusan hotel akan mengambil kira komen & cadangan saya.

oh, untuk rekod: Tan Sri Nor Mohamed & isteri telah bersalaman dengan saya semasa saya menunggu suami di lobi hotel. mereka baru pulang daripada mesyuarat UMNO PP dan mungkin fikir saya sebahagian daripada 'welcoming committee' yang menyambut mereka ;-)
maaf takde gambar untuk bukti

four wives

2008-07-03T18:24:00.003+08:00

...no, this is not the story of the 2 Terengganu men - one who recently married his 4th wife who's 29 years his junior or the odd-job guy who already has 3 wives and 18 children and wants to marry another.

This story is about 4 different kinds of wives...

There was a rich merchant who had four wives. He loved the fourth wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the third wife very much. He was very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, the merchant was always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.

He too, loved his second wife. She was a very considerate person, always patient and in fact was the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his second wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.Now, the merchant's first wife was a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household.

However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon.

He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have four wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"Thus, he asked the fourth wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the fourth wife and she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.

The sad merchant then asked the third wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the third wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the second wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the second wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.

Then a voice called out: "I'll live with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go."The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!"

Actually, we all have four wives in our lives.The fourth wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leaves us when we die.

Our third wife are our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.

The second wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

The first wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure. Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament.

pleasant surprise

2008-06-26T17:37:00.003+08:00

Apparently there are people I know out there who actually read the stuff that I write. I was at the Group's knowledge sharing seminar today and a nice surprise happened... an ex-colleague came up to me and said "nice blog". I certainly didn't expect that.

Anyway thanks N!

2008-06-25T10:11:00.004+08:00

A couple in love tell each other a million things without talking

~ chinese proverb

Chantek yang cantik

2008-06-25T09:35:00.005+08:00

I'm feeling down today and this song may cheer me up a bit...

Song / Lagu : Chantek - Altimet Feat Adeep (Fabulous Cats)

Hey wanita Gembira dapat berjumpa
Teringat kembali kali pertama kita bersua
Ingat bila kita bersepatu serupa
Tak lama dahulu jangan kau kata kau dah lupa
Kau bersama kawan-kawan muda yang nyata
Kau paling menyerlah di antara mereka

Rambut hitam warna cokelat anak mata
Membuat aku kurang fasih bila bicara
Apakata kita ambil sedikit masa
Untuk mengenali sesama kita dengan lanjutnya
Dan jika kau rasa apa yang ku rasa
Ayuh kita ke bab kedua dan seterusnya

Chantek
Dirimu buat ku tertarik
Menghilang segala prasangka
Di jiwa
Ohh chantek
Sungguh aku cinta kamu

Dia Pandai menjaga hati ayah dan ibunya
Kelakuannya sama dengan orang tuaku juga
Dia Bisa cipta yg gula dari yang cuka
Pandai menukar yg duka kepada suka
Dia Bijak mengatur acara dan juga masa
Cekap memasak garam gula secukup rasa

Dia Pandai menjaga harta dan juga duitnya
Tetap anggun tanpa mendedahkan kulitnya
Dia Setia pada Yang Esa satu-satunya
Memenuhi tanggungjawab 5 waktunya
Dia Punya tempat dalam rancangan yg ku rangka
Tak usah lengah
Ayuh kita berumah tangga

Chantek
Sechantek suria menyinar
Seindah bunga yang di taman..mekar
Chantek
Dirimu buat ku tertarik
Menghilang segala prasangka
Di jiwa
Oohhh chantekk
Sungguh aku cinta kamu

Aku Melihat kita bersama di hari tua
Dia Masih satu tiada empat tiga atau dua
Dan walaupun kau sudah kepudaran rupa
Kau tetap cantik padaku aku tak lupa
Kita bersama di anjung luangkan masa
Kewangan kita merdeka mampu bersara

Hasil usaha kita dari masa dahulu
Cukup untuk mengisi perut anak dan cucu
Hidup santai tak perlu terburu-buru
Punya masa kerja ibadah dan juga ilmu
Anak kita dan ayahya semua sebulu
Aku bilang kau chantek dan mereka setuju

Chantek
Sechantek suria menyinar
Seindah bunga yang di taman..mekar
Chantek
Dirimu buat ku tertarik
Menghilang segala prasangka di jiwa
Ohh chantek
Sungguh aku cinta kamu

Lirik Lagu Chantek - Altimet/Adeep (Fabulous Cats)

high fuel prices - a different perspective

2008-06-24T18:21:00.004+08:00

got this from someone dear...

All these examples do NOT imply that gasoline is cheap; it just illustrates how outrageous some prices are.You will be really shocked by the last one (at least, I was)!!!

Think a gallon of fuel is expensive?

This makes one think, and also puts things into perspective.

Diet Snapple, 16 oz, $1.29 ... $10.32 per gallon!

Lipton Ice Tea, 16 oz, $1.19 ... $9.52 per gallon!
Gatorade, 20 oz, $1.59 ..... $10.17 per gallon!

Brake Fluid, 12 oz, $3.15 .... $33.60 per gallon!
Vick's Nyquil, 6 oz, $8.35 ... $178.13 per gallon!

Pepto Bismol, 4 oz, $3.85 . $123.20 per gallon!

And this is the REAL KICKER.
Evian water, 9 oz, $1.49 ...$21.19 per gallon! $21.19 for a gallon of WATER!! and the buyers don't even know the source (Evian spelled backwards is Naive.)

Ever wonder why computer printers are so cheap? So they can hook you for the ink. Someone calculated the cost of the ink at, you won't believe it but it's true; $5,200 a gal.

$5200 A GALLON!!!

So, the next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run on water, Pepto Bismol, Vicks or, God forbid, Printer Ink!!!!!

youth and integrity

2008-06-19T08:26:00.004+08:00

Last night I had the opportunity to meet a group of debaters from various Malaysian universities who were shortlisted during the inter-varsity debate tournament and selected to participate in an integrity camp at the M'sian Institute of Integrity. My dearest mooted the idea for the camp to amongst others, create awareness of integrity amongst the youth. Last night was the sharing session of the book (Integrity Politik di Malaysia) review assigned to them.

I was invited by AY to meet them and share a few words with them on my corporate experience (tho' I think it was just an excuse by AY to have me around). I was certainly impressed with their keyakinan, kefasihan, kematangan, which I personally only developed after Uni. As they already had the right positive attitude, my only advice to them was to be humble and learn all that they can especially when they enter the workforce and start climbing the corporate ladder. It doesn't matter whether its the tea lady, clerk or Head of Company, all of them have experiences to share. They also need to earn the respect and the best way is by interacting with them and appreciating what they do. They are lucky to be exposed to the principles of integrity at an early age... I'm proud to see them as our budding young Malaysians who will hopefully be agents of change for the rest of the youth in our country.

branding = magnifying your unique attributes

2008-06-18T21:58:00.003+08:00

... that's how I sum up what branding is all about. Simply finding what is unique about you and magnifying it.

This applies to companies with products or services or even individuals. So let's ask yourself what is unique about you! Of course we're not refering to your bigger than normal nose, protruding chin or tall, dark and handsome looks.. those are features by the way, and not attributes... unless of course you want your features to be magnified. What we are referring to is your personality, achievements, skills, abilities etc.

In the same way KFC magnifies its special recipe for fried chicken and uses "Finger Licking Good" as their tag-line; BMW has changed its tag-line from "The Ultimate Driving Machine" to "Sheer Driving Pleasure". Both tag-lines explain the benefits or superior value proposition that the product promises.

So I promised myself to come up with my very own tag-line, which I may not necessarily share. So maybe each one of you out there should too, especially if you need to magnify what is unique about you that people don't already know, I think it would definitely boost your career and life.

appreciating talent

2008-06-14T01:06:00.000+08:00

sharing the talent in photography of "wife to cousin of husband"

during her visit to the cafe @ lui

Untuk Ayah dan Abah

2008-06-14T00:25:00.000+08:00

Untuk Ayah,

Sepanjang hidupku, Ayah tidak pernah menolak sebarang permintaan kami, samada nak makan itu-ini, nak beli baju dan permainan, maupun nak belajar di luar negara. Saya pasti permintaan terakhir itu adalah yang paling sukar dipenuhi... bukan sahaja kerana terpaksa menambah perbelanjaan kepada elaun yang dibayar JPA, tetapi kerana terpaksa membenarkan anaknya berjauhan dari rumah. Sejak kecil kami jarang dapat mengikut kawan-2 sekolah ber-rombongan sana-sini di waktu cuti sekolah apatah lagi dihantar ke sekolah berasrama. Terima kasih Ayah kerana memenuhi hidup kami dengan "kemewahan" kasih sayangmu dan tunjuk-ajarmu. Kini masa untuk kami "membayar" segala pengorbananmu, itupun sekadar yang kami mampu.

Untuk Abah,

Saya ralat kerana tidak dapat mengenali abah dengan lebih dekat, namun saya hargai 2 tahun disayangi bagaikan seorang anak, mahupun saya cuma menantu, isteri kepada anak lelaki Abah yang seorang. Pesan abah saya ingat bagaikan semalam, setiap kali kami melawat abah dan mummy di Penang... sebelum berpisah, abah tidak lekang berpesan sambil mencium dahiku untuk menjaga Anis dan pesannya untuk Anis adalah untuk menjagaku..."look after each other" pesannya selalu. Semoga rohnya bersemadi bersama orang-orang yang beriman. amin.

Semoga Allah sentiasa memelihara Ayah & Abah, di mana jua mereka berada.

P.Ramlee The Musical

2008-06-13T13:16:00.002+08:00

Last Friday 6th June, we treated ourselves to a family night out to P.Ramlee the Musical showing at Istana Budaya. I promised myself that I'd blog a review and so, though a week late, here it is...

My little sista made plans nearly a month ago and suggested we watch this musical, its second season. So we booked the best seats available and eagerly waited for the day. I must congratulate Tiara and Adlin Aman Ramlie for staging a world-class performance, easily outdoing the shows on broadway and London's west end. After watching Puteri Gunung Ledang and now P.Ramlee, I believe even Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber would be impressed with the prop and stage movements which is as good as the likes of Phantom of the Opera; and if they could bring a helicopter to the stage of Miss Saigon; we could bring a whistling, smoking train to the stage of P.Ramlee.

P.Ramlee - The Life, The Loves & The Inspiration. The play is mostly about Ramlee's climb to stardom and his love life as well as the women and wives who were his muse that inspired his creations. I understand now the meaning of some of his more popular songs as they were written by him to reflect his feelings, being happy, in love, frustrated and beat. He strikes me as a romantic, idealistic, compassionate and sensitive person, easily hurt by the people he loves. I am proud to know that Ramlee always upholds his malay roots and defends it in his movies and songs.

The best performance of the play must go to Musly who plays Ramlee and Liza Hanim who personified the character of Saloma so well, it's as if we were all taken back in time to watch these two love birds courting on the garden seat (P.Ramlee re-enacted this scene in the movie Bujang Lapuk). I'm glad we waited for the second season as I hear Sean G's performance was not as captivating...

P/S:
Born in Penang and growing up hearing stories from Abah who used to jam with P.Ramlee, my husband may have differing thoughts on this... but that's for another blog entry ;-)

Nubhan - Ada Untuk Mu

2008-06-13T08:19:00.002+08:00

Nubhan - Ada Untuk Mu

Di sana pungguk menanti

Mengharap bulan membalas rindu di hati

Di sini aku berdiri

Menunggu penuh dengan kesabaran

Tanpa manis madah

Janji yang puitis

Tuk persembahan

Hanya ketulusan

Sekeping hati suci

Aku

Berikan kasih

Kalau itu yang kau mahu dari ku

Aku

Berikan cinta

Untuk membahagiakan hari mu

Aku

Sayang dirimu (menyayangimu)

Biarpun nafas ku sampai terhenti

Akan ku kota janji kita

Mendirikan Taj Mahal cinta

Seteguh kasih

Shah Jehan kepada Mumtaznya

Terasa indah pabila berdua

Semakin tiba saat bahagia

Merai cinta kita

note: hee hee... even Anuar Zain has not made it to my blog

of learning and sharing

2008-06-12T12:14:00.010+08:00

4 days prior to the event (2-4 June 08) and in the midst of the commotion and planning for the traffic & safety event, I was whisked away by HR to attend the Business Strategy Leadership ("BSL") course at ULC. The course is part of UEM's grand plan to develop leaders in the organisation and prepare them with an MSc in Strategy Management. The BSL is the 2nd in 4 parts to be completed to qualify for the post-grad degree.

The main take-away from the BSL for me is how cleverly the facilitator had compiled all the books and theories on strategy into a 3 day crash course - from Tom Peters (In Search of Excellence) to Kim & Mauborgne (Blue Ocean Strategy). However, the course did not end with the classroom training. We participants now have 8 weeks to complete a 3,000 word assignment and keep a weekly private blog on how we have implemented our learnings to be assessed by the University of Northumbria.

Blue Ocean Strategy ("BOS") was one of the strategies discussed in the BSL and coincidentally I had attended a 3 day seminar on it on 5-7 May 08. As they say, 90% of learning is from sharing and doing... so I took on the request from HR to share my learning at the Company's Knowledge Sharing Program yesterday. In a way it was a refresher for me and it also forced me to read the book again. I won't bother to explain the BOS as I'll save it for the weekly private blog.

People generally retain:

10% of what is read
20% of what is heard/explained
30% of what is seen/demonstrated
50% of what they read/hear, plus see done
70% of what they read/hear, plus see done, and explain to someone else
90% of what they read/hear, plus see done, and explain to someone else, and do themselves

>>> so my friends, make it a habit to ask your kids to explain what they learnt in school each day to help them retain the knowledge

satisfying week

2008-06-09T13:26:00.001+08:00

Ahhh.... that's my long sigh of relief after a hectic, hectic week. After months of planning and coordination, Propel's traffic and safety awareness exhibition was successfully completed on 6 June 2008 at OBR Sungai Buloh.

We took the opportunity to launch our robotic flagman, affectionately known as BOB ("Boneka Operator Bendera") to the public. BOB has been effective in replacing our staff to direct and caution traffic 24/7 in rain or shine.

Yes, one of the scope in my portfolio is branding and events; besides strategic planning, KPI roll-out and monitoring, business development and everything else that's not Operations, QSHE or Contracts. That's what you get when your department is not named after any particular function... and especially when HR, Finance and CCOM are centralised at holding company and when we're better off handling our own activities than involving the Group... oops ;-)

Alhamdulillah, the overall event went well except for some glitches in setting up the display panels by the young guys we appointed as the creative partners. Nevertheless, publicity from the event was good as I managed to negotiate TV3 to run 2 live cross-overs on MHI that morning.

Turn out from the press was also encouraging. All the sleepless nights and late hours put in to organise this event was well worth it when Tan Sri Chairman gave me a thumbs-up!

our very own cafe

2008-05-26T07:16:00.005+08:00

Alhamdulillah, the soft opening of our cafe went smoothly. A dream which started at the dining table as a "good feeling" on April 6th has materialised into a beautiful reality. We opened as planned on 24 & 25 May 2008.

To everyone, thank you for staying committed to the project.
Thank you Azli for amazingly completing the project in just 6 weeks!! and most importantly within budget. Thank you Adek for the gate, going around as far as Nilai to find the best deals for furniture, pinggan-mangkuk and raw ingredients.

Thank you Sheefa for the delicious and popular asam pedas, and for the menu black board. Thank you Pate for designing the logo, banner and advertising material.

Thank you Sayang for the fridge, photography of the food items and for the soon to come poster frames.

* the super sisters *

Thank you to Medina, Aisha, Redhuan, Sara, Moehamad and Umar for livening up the cafe, for not complaining and for being the fantastic children that you all are and for helping to take orders from customers ;-)

Special thanks to Mom and Ayah for believing in us, keeping us focussed and supporting us all the way. Thank you Mom for the cornish pastries.

A great big hug for all of you!!

We have proven that we have many strengths and talents within this family that can be used to start a business and do many other great things. We pray to God for our continued success. Amin

the beginning of something great

2008-05-22T18:21:00.011+08:00

6 April 2008
20 April 2008
10 May 2008
19 May 2008

After the initial site marking on 6 April 2008, we are proud to announce the opening of The Cafe@Lui on 24 & 25 May 2008

Located at Batu 20, Sungai Lui, Hulu Langat, Selangor.

Open from 7.30 am - 6 pm on weekends only.

Do come to check it out, we appreciate your support!

visit http://www.thecafe-at-lui.blogspot.com/

We cater for private parties, weddings, BBQ, outdoor seminars, reunions, corporate functions.

potatoes for rice

2008-05-14T13:03:00.002+08:00

source: NST 12 May 2008

LAT always has a knack of capturing the lighter side of current issues. We discovered on Saturday that it now costs us an extra 30 sen to enjoy nasi lemak with rendang from our regular vendor in Taman Desa. For inflation and health purposes, the government is encouraging us to substitute rice with potatoes and sweet potatoes. The news last night quoted a minister saying how much children enjoy eating french fries! ... as if we don't already have enough problems addressing overweight children?!!

mother's day

2008-05-11T23:49:00.004+08:00

Today is Mother's Day! We celebrated in the usual family fashion with anak-2 and cucu-2 coming together over Sunday enjoying each other's company and devouring adek's delicious desserts. I hugged mom and told her how much I love her and appreciate all that she's done for me. She has always been my inspiration and whatever I do, I do well because of her. I also hugged mummy in Penang (via phone) to thank her for bringing up a wonderful son whom I love to bits.

I am blessed with 9 lovely children whom I can pamper and care for without having to endure pain in labour. I treasure the hugs & kisses I got from the 6 power rangers today including the sloppy kiss from little Umar, and yes I even got a kiss from Red although to him it was punishment for misbehaving ;-). I cherish the sms from the 2 YSL ('Young Sweet Ladies") in Penang and for the pleasant surprise on bearrister's blog. Thank you all, it means a great deal to me.

WIEF in Kuwait

2008-05-04T13:06:00.015+08:00

I have neglected to update my blog this past few weeks as I was away participating in the 4th World Islamic Economic Forum ("WIEF") in Kuwait (27 April - 2 May 08) with about 20 other delegates from the UEM Group.

We flew on Etihad and it was a comfortable experience, save for the 8 hour transit in Abu Dhabi airport.

You know you're in the Middle East when everything around you seems to change from bright to hues of yellow. The temperature was 44 degrees celcius during the day but quite cool at night (22 degrees C).

We witnessed a sand storm (see above pictures for before & after) which passed in about 30 minutes and left outdoor activities to a stand still. Schools were closed that day and people were encouraged to stay indoors.

Our program was packed, dividing our time between setting up our exhibition booth, talking to visitors and business meetings with potential partners. We all know Kuwait as a country rich with oil produce and they definitely spend it well in irrigating their dry desert land to grow grass and trees to landscape the city.

Delegates of WIEF were all considered guests of the Emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad and he hosted us in the most grandiose manner. All food consumed at the Sheraton Towers, the venue for the event was on the house. Imagine having free flow sandwiches, baklava, freshly pureed kiwi, mango, orange juice; chocolates and pastries. It was food galore with local and international buffet spreads for lunch and dinner and I really indulged on my favourite pita, humous and kebabs.

The little spare time we had in the evenings and on the way to meetings, we were able to see the sites around the city - the old souk, Kuwait tower and the telekom tower.

On our last day, we were invited by the Malaysian Abassador at his residence together with the other Malaysians involved in the WIEF. Besides meeting a few out of the 200+ Malaysians living in Kuwait, I had the opportunity to chat with Tun Musa Hitam, a very jovial character. The 5th WIEF will be held in Jakarta and the Indonesians will have a tough time meeting the raised expectations of delegates after KL and Kuwait.

photo snippets

2008-04-12T13:30:00.008+08:00

I was downloading photos from my camera this morning and thought of sharing these snippets:-

This is the beautiful and delicious cake my sister baked for me on my birthday last month. She makes yummy cup cakes, fresh cream and royal icing cakes too.

Orders are welcomed!!

On our last visit to Penang on 29/3, we were taken to a cosy restaurant named "Jemput 3" - a new hot eating and meeting spot on Burma road. Photo was taken by Miera.

The kids enjoyed themselves climbing this tree whilst we were planning our little project in Langat.

Reminds me of the days when I used to sit on the jambu tree in our house in Jalan Semarak and day-dream... hmmm. I think most of my dreams have come true. amin

buku AY di KL book fair

2008-04-11T15:35:00.008+08:00

Ini adalah satu pengumuman yang membanggakan...

Buku yang di-edit oleh AYY berjudul "Politik: Isu-Isu Integriti 2000-2008" adalah antara buku yang dijual di KL Book Fair yang berlangsung di PWTC minggu ini, klik sini untuk kandungan buku ini.

Saya bertanya AYY mengapa buku Politik terletak di antara buku "Gangguan Seksual" dan "Kanser Wanita"??

Jawapannya kepada saya "Politik berada dalam kategori yang sama agaknya....esp. dalam keadaan cuaca politik semasa sekarang. Banyak sangat ganguan yang serupa dengan gangguan seksual dan akibatnya politik Negara mengidap sakit kanser payu dara ;-)

Apapun, tahniah AYY. Marilah kita ramai-2 ke pesta buku sebelum 14/4/08.

best picture

2008-04-07T09:16:00.002+08:00

this photo won the best picture award in the special mention category.

cool huh!

anak halal

2008-04-06T22:55:00.006+08:00

"Anak halal" (legitimate child). Director: Osman Ali

A movie with a title like that promises a plot that is provocative and wild... and indeed it did not dissapoint. Good cast, plot and cinematography, with fast moving scenes that appeals to young adults who have little patience for dragging scenes. Although we had the option to fast fwd since we were watching the VCD (yang ori tau).

The story is about friendship between 6 friends, secret love between 2 friends who grew up together and raised by a single mother, and the dangers of drugs - how it kills, how it begets violence and how the wrath of drugs flows through generations from father to child.

The only comment I have is on Fasha Sandha's character as a rich man's daughter - complete with spoilt child attitude, sports car, big house and fancy clothes - it was unnatural for someone like that to fit-in with the kids from the 'bronx' so naturally. Farid Kamil and Maya Karin continue to mature in their performance in leading roles - good job!

To the likes of Osman Ali (although his earlier movie 'Puaka di Tebing Biru' received less positive reviews), Shuhaimi Baba for 'Hati Malaya', Yusry KRU for 'Cicak Man', and of course Yasmin Ahmad for 'Sepet', 'Gubra' & 'Mohsin', keep up the good job of bringing us malay movies of this calibre.

p/s: thanks to Izmil for recommending this movie.

corporate cardinal rules

2008-04-05T21:28:00.001+08:00

Rule 1: Never Upset Someone Influential

Over lunch a few weeks ago, some friends and I were discussing office politics and we came to the conclusion that one corporate cardinal rule to remember is NEVER to cross or upset someone influential in the office. It is a mistake so grave that you'll soon realise you're better off being a non-performer, who will simply be ignored and put in 'cold storage'.

Rule 2: Always Make Your Boss Look Good

Face it! Our objective at the end of the day is to make our boss look good - especially in the eyes of our boss's boss! This deed goes a long way and beats having to suck-up or kiss-ass anyday.

~ to be continued ~

heroes

2008-04-01T22:14:00.006+08:00

Another season of heroes draws to a close tonight, after 11 episodes. Although the novelty of the show has somewhat worn off from season 1 (with 23 episodes), it has still managed to keep me glued to the idiot box week after week.

Last season, Nathan flew Peter into space to save the world from the explosion. Season 2 started with "4 months later" with Hiro being teleported into history where he meets his childhood kensei face to face. New heroes are introduced and unravels how they are all connected to each other - one big entangled web.

Tim Kring has again managed to keep us gripping in anticipation for what happens next:-
- what is Mrs Petrelli's (Peter's mom) role and influence in the company?
- what happened to Parkman's dad?
- how did Sylar (in the beginning of season 2) end up in the den of the girl who has the powers to create illusions?
- did Nikki die in the explosion?
- is that the end of Adam?
- will Mr Bennett re-join the company for the sake of his family's safety?

The story continues to unfold in season 3... till then.
p/s: I hear that it's coming on air on September 15.

could this be a hoax?

2008-04-01T19:13:00.006+08:00

Malaysian ruling party dissidents launch attack on weakened prime minister

Thus was the headlines in several foreign online news sites around the region - thestraitstimes, bangkok post, taipei times etc around 5pm today.

I immediately searched the local online newspapers and NONE of them carried the breaking story. Apparently our beloved Tun got around 2,000 participants in a seminar (of mostly UMNO members, so it seems) all worked up and excited about the results of the last election, resulting in a public show of anger and forming a rally behind him for the PM to step down.

Could this be an elaborate april fool's day hoax? I can only image the implications of this if it is true...

I love mind mapping

2008-04-01T18:37:00.008+08:00

Thanks to Tony Buzan who created this wonderful tool called 'mind map'. I personally find this tool useful as it boosts creativity and memory plus it helps in organising and planning, helping you to be thorough and not miss out anything.

Another bonus is that you just need one piece of paper to scribble all your thoughts on a particular subject, saving paper and preserving the environment. I've even tried summarising a 400 page book on one page in one mind map.

Refer to the mind map for laws of mind mapping. Try it and you'll soon appreciate it's benefits!

p/s: am looking for an affordable mind mapping software... anyone?

percentage

2008-03-31T18:12:00.008+08:00

Thought of the day:

5% of people make things happen

15% of people watch things happen

80% of people don't know what happened ("blurr sokmo")

~ which category of people do you belong to?

what the hell does "poyo" mean

2008-03-28T19:08:00.003+08:00

I was tuning in to a local radio channel today on the way to work when the DJ was using the word "poyo". She was having a discussion with the caller while repeatedly using the word as if the whole world understands what it means.

Could "poyo" mean "Poser"? That wouldn't be surprising. Just like how "Go-A-Stern" became "Gostan". I suspect "Poser" has become "Poyo"???!!!

Anyway, the dictionary definition for Poser include:-

1 - a person who habitually pretends to be something he is not
2 - a question or problem that is challenging or confusing
3 - a wannabee

These new slang words like "kantoi", "lepak" etc doesn't really enrich our word power or vocabulary, especially if these words are not acceptable for use in official writing... thus, it is no wonder then that we frequently ask ourselves kenapa anak bangsa melayu kurang maju?

Well now that we've figured that out... here's another poser => what the hell does "masyuk" mean????

march babies

2008-03-24T18:45:00.004+08:00

...Lily, Balan, Naj, Hani, Abg Zul, Kak Eda, Shimah, aLoNg, Juliza, Katz, Razak and everyone else celebrating their birthday in March:

Happy birthday to all the March babies!

May we be blessed with good health, wealth and may all our wishes come true. Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.

The F1 Attraction

2008-03-23T20:21:00.005+08:00

Race car fans from around the world flock to Sepang this weekend to watch the race. I'm not much into race cars, but I share the excitement of F1 in Malaysia. However, one thing I don't understand is how my fellow women friends allow themselves to be manipulated as objects of display during these events, sigh... the recruitment site for these F1 girls call them malaysian babes... I wonder - do they really represent the image of "babes" in Malaysia?

Anyway, congratulations to the Petronas-Sauber team for coming in second. Now there's a good reason to celebrate this year's 10th anniversary of the Sepang International F1 Circuit!

Junjungan Mulia

2008-03-20T08:05:00.005+08:00

Ku mohon keberkatan dari Yang Maha Esa di Maulidur-Rasul yang mulia ini sempena hari ulangtahun kelahiranku tahun ini. Teringat ku akan lagu nasyid ini yang dinyanyikan oleh kami anak-anak Navy di sambutan Maulidur-Rasul di rumah bakat TLDM di Jln Padang Tembak, Kuala Lumpur semasa di darjah 5. Lagu ini telah dipopularkan oleh kumpulan nasyid Al-Mizan.

Junjungan Mulia

Tercipta satu lembaran sejarah

Di tanah suci Kota Mekah

Hari yang mulia penuh syahadah

Bermulalah sebuah kisah

Malam isnin subuh yang indah

Dua belas rabiul'awal yang cerah

Dua puluh april tahun gajah

Lahirlah zuriat dan syahadah

Abdullah nama bapanya

Siti Aminah ibunya

Riang gembira menyambutnya

Lahirnya putra yang utama

Muhammad nama diberi
Gelaran yang terpuji

Nikmat Illahi sama disyukuri

Terima putra yang berbakti

Keadaan yatim anak mulia

Lahirnya bawa cahaya

Alam derita jadi gembira

Terima junjungan mulia

Selawat dan salam kepada junjungan besar kita Rasulullah Muhammad SAW

much ado about secretaries day

2008-03-18T13:12:00.001+08:00

Administrative Professionals' Day (previously known as Secretary's Day) is an unofficial secular holiday observed on the third or fourth Wednesday of April (i.e. April 25, 2007; April 23, 2008), to recognize the work of clerical employees such as administrative assistants, receptionists, paralegals, etc. It is celebrated as part of a larger Administrative Professionals Week, which takes place during the last full week of April standard Sunday through Saturday calendar week. (April 22 - 28, 2007).

National Professional Secretaries Week and National Secretaries' Day was created in 1952 through the work of Harry F. Klemfuss of Young and Rubicam. Klemfuss recognized the importance and value of the position to a company or business. His goal was to encourage more women to become administrative assistants (called secretaries at the time). Using his skill and experience in public relations, Klemfuss promoted the values and importance of the job of administrative assistants. In doing so, he also created the holiday in recognition of the importance of administrative assistants.

In Malaysia, we celebrate Secretaries for an entire month, not just one week - an excuse for bosses to buy candy and flowers for their asssistants. Show promoters make money by organising artists to perform over lunch or hi-tea, at a premium price. Personally, I make a point to recommend that other clerical and assistant staff also get to enjoy the "celebration" organised by the company, instead of just limiting the seats for these shows to the secretaries.

To all Secretaries & Office Assistants out there, thank you for your support and contribution!

zack & aieshah

2008-03-11T00:16:00.006+08:00

Tahniah kepada Zack & Aieshah yang telah melangsungkan perkahwinan mereka pada Ahad, 9 Mac yang lalu. Semoga percintaan pasangan ini semakin mekar setiap hari. Kami doakan mereka dikurniakan kebahagiaan, kesabaran, kesihatan yang baik serta ketakwaan yang berkekalan hingga ke akhir hayat. amin.

Consider reading a poem from an earlier entry titled "the Art of Marriage"

loss of power

2008-03-10T18:15:00.011+08:00

POWER! What does being in power mean?
..1. The ability or capacity to perform or act effectively.
..2. A specific capacity, faculty, or aptitude i.e. Power of concentration
..3. Strength or force exerted or capable of being exerted
..4. The ability or official capacity to exercise control; authority.
..5. A person, group, or nation having great influence or control over others i.e western powers
..6. Forcefulness; effectiveness: a novel of unusual power.

When one is in a position of power, it is easy to let it get to your head. Why not? it is a wonderful feeling when you can have anything you want, when you can steer things to work your way, when you have people at your beck and call, when you are popular and everyone wants to be your friend. You basically feel on top of the world lah. Power breeds arrogance!

But remember! What God gives, God can also take away. And usually God takes away when you least expect it, when you are least prepared. Loss of power can have devastating effects on people. It doesn't matter whether you lose power in business, in the corporate world or in politics.

The bitter truth sets in. You learn to get used to being ignored, losing importance, friends and colleagues conveniently forget and disassociate themselves from you. I have seen high and mighty CEOs who shouts and throw files at their staff, reduced to businessmen begging for small jobs after falling from their high horses.

I have also seen powerful aides to CEOs who previously had their desks pile high with papers and could change company strategies with a meer whisper to the CEO, reduced to timid senior executives with cleaned-out desks, ignored by their CEO and lost their self confidence. Businessmen who once ruled the industry reduced to skimming off work from their previous contractors, trading in their big imported cars for local ones. These are not pretty sights.

For the rest of us, it is a startling reminder to always keep our feet on the ground and not let it get to our heads. When we are surrounded by comfort and happiness, remember the reason we are there in that position and remember to save for rainy days... When you're down and out, the best thing to do is to reflect (muhasabah diri) on what went wrong and why it did, and not repeat the same mistakes.

clear blue skies ahead, we pray

2008-03-10T07:57:00.003+08:00

Malaysia has decided! A friend was in his garden in Penang when he 'sensed' the falling of leaves in the middle of the afternoon as an omen of bad things to come. Perhaps it was a sign of the outcome of Saturday's polls, which no one had anticipated - not Barisan Nasional, not even the Barisan Rakyat (previously known as the opposition). It has brought about a whole new meaning to the word opposition for now the mighty BN is the opposition in Kelantan, Perak, Penang, Kedah and Selangor.

This morning seems bright and clear, and the dark clouds looming over our skies have lifted. Now reality has sunk in, no matter how much it hurts or heals. I now pray that lessons are learnt and promises kept. As Tengku Razaleigh says, "...we must face it (the results) without further denial, self-deception or media spin."

tomorrow we vote

2008-03-07T17:18:00.012+08:00

I recall an article by Huzir Sulaiman in the Sunday STAR (24/2/08),
“…The idea that by not voting one can somehow register a protest against the whole political system is utterly nonsensical. You wouldn’t be registering a protest. You wouldn’t be registering anything. You’d be erasing yourself. You’d be disembowelling your own citizenship. You’d be tearing out the intestines of your patriotism and throwing them onto the barbecue of your apathy. In short: If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”

Tomorrow will be my first experience at voting. Yes, I’m guilty of tearing out my intestines of patriotism and for not caring less for the last 3 elections (1995, 1999 & 2000). So, tomorrow I’ll be joining the 10.9 million Malaysians to cast my vote. My sisters will be sharing my experience as they too have decided to vote. I am excited.

At the same time, I’m troubled by the nagging notion that we are not free to choose or elect our representatives after all. Last week a friend told us about how their son's bus driver was burnt to ashes just because he openly declared his allegiance to a certain opposition party. This bus was his source of income. I also happen to know of certain quarters who go to the extent of sending out letters to authorities blocking companies from being awarded projects as they are known to support the opposition. Is this democracy? BN will no doubt maintain their 2/3 majority and continue to do their job at developing the nation and achieve Vision 2020 & 2057 but I do hope that there will be a credible group in parliament and the DUNs to provide the check and balance.

Let’s hope the outcome of the elections will not match the gloomy rainy weather forecasted for tomorrow. Selamat Mengundi!

Untuk Kakak ku

2008-03-02T10:20:00.006+08:00

Saya merupakan anak yang sulong dalam keluarga saya dan selama hidup saya berpengalaman menjadi kakak kepada 3 orang adik. Sebagai yang tua, saya terpaksa memainkan peranan, bertanggungjawab, menjaga adik-2, disuruh lakukan itu-ini demi untuk menjadi contoh yang baik kepada yang lebih muda dari saya, malahan saya juga mempunyai obligasi kepada ibu-bapa untuk menjadi anak yang menjadi kebanggaan keluarga dan membawa pulang segala yang baik - termasuklah markah yang cemerlang, pekerjaan yang dibanggakan, dan lebih-2 lagi suami yang penyayang.

Jadi bayangkan tuah saya apabila melalui perkahwinan dengan seorang anak bongsu (anak lelaki yang seorang pulak tu), saya mendapat bukan seorang, tetapi 2 orang kakak dan juga 2 orang abang ipar di mana saya dapat tumpang bermanja dan merasa dijagai dan disayangi sebagai seorang adik. Sejak 9 tahun yang lalu, setiap kali kami pulang ke Penang, saya dan suami sering dilayan dengan hidangan makanan kegemaran kami, samaada dimasak oleh mummy dan kakak-2 atau dibeli dari gerai. Tidak lekang juga pertanyaan khabar dari mereka yang ikhlas menunjukkan kasih sayang mereka untuk adik-2 mereka ini yang tinggal jauh dari pandangan mata.

Entry ini didedikasikan kepada salah seorang dari kakak ku, Noorlida Yusal Yusoff yang menyambut ulangtahun hari kelahirannya yang ke "tuuut" kali hari ini (hey, mana ada wanita yang mahu mewar-2kan umur sebenarnya). Saya mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengucapkan terima kasih kepada beliau kerana mencurahkan kasih sayang seorang kakak kepada kami. Semoga Kak Eda dipanjangkan umur, dimurahkan rezeki dan didoakan agar dia sentiasa berada dalam peliharaan Illahi. Amin.

Millionaires in 'Paris'

2008-03-01T10:39:00.004+08:00

We turned millionaires overnight... no, not by winning lottery, but merely by exchanging our Ringgit to Rupiah!

We took a 2-nights, 3 days break from Wednesday to visit Bandung. Thanks to Adek, we secured 7 free seats on Air Asia - both of us, Adek, Li, Mom, Red & Sara. It was my first trip to the city known as "Paris Van Java" (Paris Jawa la tu...). Adek and Li are regulars here and arranged for a van, driver (Pak Ros) and booked us in the quaint Sukajadi Hotel. Mom loved the place as it was tastefully adorned with antiques and teak decorations. The rooms were clean and breakfast was not bad for the price we paid.

Our main mission was to shop, shop and shop and we did just that. From the moment we landed, we were taken to one factory outlet ("FO") after another. I must commend the local government for their efforts in commercialising the outlets. One place known as "Rumah Mode" had a good display of branded goods but at a fraction of the price of the ori-goods. The place was done up nicely, with beautiful landscape and coffee outlets - reminded us of the Clarks Village in England. We also went to the pasar and other FO which specialised in jeans, leather goods, handbags and shoes.

For food, we were taken to very nice food outlets to sample the local (Sunda, Java, Balinese) dishes. Our favourites were the Sunda food at Cafe Bali and ikan bakar at Pak Chi Met restaurant (across the street from our hotel). A must try is the popular J-Co's doughtnuts - they somehow taste more fluffy here and there's no queue!!

All in all, it was a good break and I must add that it did not burn a very big hole in our pockets, keeping in mind that we're saving for our "big trip" end of this year.

thankful

2008-02-25T13:08:00.008+08:00

We are thankful to God for giving us the means to be able to have beautiful places to call our home; a healthy and happy family to love and care for; knowledge and skills to have a respectable career to earn a living from; friends to keep; good health; and for all the experiences and memories that make us what we are today.

a point to ponder: "you will be the same person you are 5 years ago, if not for the books you read and the people you meet"

"The Art of Marriage"

2008-02-25T00:08:00.006+08:00

I found this beautiful piece and thought of sharing it with everyone...

The little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.

It is at no time taking the other for granted;the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,it should continue through all the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.

It is forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude or duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have wings of an angel.

It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.

It is finding room for the things of the spirit.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

takziah untuk Abang Zul sekeluarga

2008-02-24T23:12:00.001+08:00

Panggilan telefon dari Kak Eda lewat suboh tadi membawa perkhabaran sedih tentang kepulangan ayahanda kepada Abg Zul ke Rahmatullah. Semoga rohnya dicucuri rahmat dan digolongkan antara orang-2 yang beriman. Amin. Sesungguhnya manusia hanya boleh merancang, jodoh dan ajal ditentukan olehNya Yang Maha Berkuasa.

...dariNya kita datang dan kepadaNya juga akan kita dikembalikan...

Happy Birthday Sayang

2008-02-23T18:52:00.010+08:00

Happy birthday Sayang, I hope you like the photobook as your present this year - my first attempt at using the Apple ibook software, which I learnt to produce in 90 minutes - thanks to the owner of a colour lab shop in Damansara. Hopefully this would encourage you to buy me an ibook or desktop Mac for I now have lots of ideas for other projects ;-)

May God keep us in good health & wealth and may our love for each other blossom by the day. With love, Dee.

p/s: thanks to cousin lan & bard for the late supper; abg zul and kak eda for the briyani lunch; miera, memen, nana & of for brightening the day; and everyone in langat and penang who made this day special for AY.

our 'permai' domicile

2008-02-20T23:37:00.011+08:00

We love our home, our own cosy place which we have done up ourselves, our very first jointly-owned property.

We enjoy the manicured garden and landscape with calming and tranquil fountains and waterfall which helps us destress after a tiring day at work. We like the swimming pool which is reliably cleaned everyday and we enjoy spotting squirrels crossing our paths in the mornings on our way to work.

We also like our friendly cafe owner whom we can call on for quick wholesome meals, our laundrette which I can pass the chore of ironing to, and the few friendly neighbours who make a point to say hello. We appreciate the convenience of having shops, restaurants, clinics, a fuel kiosk and beauty saloons within close proximity.

And we love that we're located within 10 minutes to MidValley, 20 minutes to Bangsar & KLCC, 40 minutes from KLIA and only 15 minutes to mom's place. We love our home, our 'permai' domicile.

2008-02-19T23:33:00.005+08:00

Happy Birthday to Nana!... may all your wishes come true

banner fever

2008-02-19T00:19:00.009+08:00

One would wonder whether the patrons to this stall in batu 18 would be influenced by (any one of) the symbolic banners/flags flying proudly around this shabby pondok, or are they oblivious to the campaigning efforts made by each of the parties behind these colourful symbols and more interested in the 'puthu piring' panas??!!

me, am waiting for 080308... to exercise my right to vote!!

si kecil yang bijak

2008-02-18T23:35:00.012+08:00

Saya dipanggil Mak Non, panggilan manja untuk Mak Long.

Semalam semasa saya melayan si kecil Medina melukis-2 di atas kertas, dia telah menulis "Mak Non nakal". Saya menjawab dengan menulis "Medina lagi nakal".

Tanpa ingin mengaku kalah, dia menambah "Mak Non lagi lagi nakal". Saya fikir saya pandai kerana dia tidak mungkin dapat menandingi apa yang akan saya tulis... "Medina yang paling nakal sekali". Sesungguhnya saya silap. Si kecil yang bijak dengan pantas menjawab "Mak Non pun".... saya terkedu seketika ;-)