Little (Er not so little anymore) Brother In Town

My younger brother Cu is here in town. It's the second time he's been here, the first visit was about 8 months ago, Haziq was not even born yet. He just finished his semester exams so he wanted to do some traveling and chose to travel along the East Coast. He's here for a few days before going up to Kuala Terengganu to visit the relatives there and finally, he'll be in Kota Bharu where he'll meet up with my parents there before returning to KL.

Me and Cu have a rather interesting relationship. I have another younger brother, Ucop who is 12 years apart from me. Cu is 8 years younger. I still remember when I was in secondary school I used to be annoyed with Cu all the time. At that age of around 8 years old, he liked to brag and talk big. I suppose I took up a bit on him, bullying and being quite nasty to him, like kicking him out of my room when I'm not in the mood. And then I went overseas and during that time, he got into Malay College. Another reason for me to be annoyed with him because he made it into that school, while I considered myself a failure for not being able to do so. I used to believe that Abah was disappointed that I didn't get into his alma mater but over the years, Allah knew better and I ended up on a not-so-bad path.

During my university days when I came back for summer holidays, we meet up once in a while and I realised that my attitude towards Cu had changed for the better. We could talk more openly and I don't feel any hostility towards him anymore. I suppose there could've been some siblings rivalry back then but I can safely say that we're the best of brothers and friends. I try to give him encouragement and support because I can see there's a lot of potential within himself, even if he might not see them himself. We're quite different, he's more talkative and I'm the more quiet one. He has scores of friends while I stick to a handful only. He's the joker while I prefer to be the man behind the scenes. Nevertheless, Cu has helped me in many ways and I only pray success and happiness for him. He went through quite a lot in the past two years or so. I hope he's recovered since then and he seems to be, from what I can observed. I would've liked to spend more time with my siblings because I felt, while studying overseas, I missed out on many opportunities to do so. The trip to Adelaide in Dec 2001 was such an excellent and enjoyable experience, even though it ended with Cu spending a few nights in Pantai Medical Centre. :)

Whatever it is Cu, if you're reading this, thank you for being there and I hope we will continue to be best of brothers and friends in the years to come.

Don't You Just Hate Meetings!!

Who likes to attend meetings? It's just a time to waste time, where people talk and discuss and assign actions. At the end of it, you'll get more work to be done, on top of the work that you already are struggling to complete. I have to admit I'm struggling at the moment with the burden of work. I don't want to sacrifice the limited time I have with my family, so I try not to bring work home. And then, this week we had the 'pleasure' of a sudden appearance by people who want to wreak havoc on our already critical computer network. And we had to just drop things and attend to these people. It really sucks when you have to attend to unplanned work. I suppose I'm in the business of attending to unplanned requests and work. Everything is urgent and needs to be done yesterday. Perhaps it'd be nice to get some recognition and understanding by people that I only have two hands and one brain. It's hard enough to compartmentalise between e-punchcard system, the ZEN deployment, the network upgrade, the security system, the CEO's iPAQ and even someone's stupid Notes Mail. The work is fun but at times these people really make me mad inside and I would like to e'punch'card someone's face. :)

Sometimes I really think it must be great to have loads of money so that I don't have to work like a dog anymore and just go on a cruise or take rides in Disney World for endless times. It's not wrong to dream, right? Anyway, at the end of the day, I can just switch off the PC, get into my car, put on No Doubt 'It's My Life' at full volume and drive home at 140 km/h, which I don't think many KL people can do. Too bad. Tell me if any of you KL-lites want to switch places with me....

Confused with Bottles

Awi put me through a series of tests today....to match Haziq's many bottles with the correct caps. I'm sure you all know about milk bottles for babies. They come in various sizes and colour, some are even branded like Mothercare and Pigeon. I suppose Awi had noticed that when preparing Haziq's milk I sometimes put the wrong caps on and when the bottle was shaken to mix the milk powder with water, some of it will spill out. Each of the bottles has its own corresponding cap, depending on brand, type of bottle and colour. At first she showed to me once the right match for all of nine bottles. During the first try, I only got three bottles correctly matched. Hehehehe, I can remember the names of all the cabinet ministers or the jersey colour of all Premiership teams, but when it really mattered, I just can't pull it through for Haziq's bottles. On my first try, I only scored 33%. Awi had set for me a passing mark of 7/9 correct matches. So, I sat down, put on my thinking cap and finally, I managed to get them all correctly matched. Hurray, I am now certified in matching Haziq's many milk bottles. I just hope Awi won't buy more bottles for him, I might have to go through a refresher course. Nevertheless, I still am not sure I'll get the bottles-cap combination correct when I am preparing milk with eyes half closed at 5 o'clock in the morning. I suppose that is why God got it right by making women to be mothers and not the men. :)

ROTK at last

Went to watch Return of the King at the cinema yesterday, after more than 2 weeks being shown on the big screen. Thanks to Am for making it happen. Actually he wants to 'belanja' me for my birthday. I had to leave Awi and Haziq in Kerteh (I wasn't too happy about it but I told Awi it will be just this once. Hehehe). It was good to hang out with the guys once in a while, doing something together for one day. It has been a while, I have to tell you that.

A bit on the movie. To me after you strip off the story about the ring, Gollum and Sauron, it all boils down to friendship. It's about sticking with your friend no matter what, like what the man (Hobbit) of the movie, Sam did with Frodo. Rescuing him in his moment of needs, even fighting and risking his own life. It's also about not letting your friend being left out in the limb, even though by helping him it would result in yourself being in danger. This was portrayed by Gimli and Legolas when they accompanied Aragorn into the realms of the Undead Souls. Heartwarming indeed but can we emulate such noble acts in real life?

Not sure when my next trip to the films will be. It kind of sucks because Kuantan is almost 2 hours drive away from Kerteh. I suppose Awi won't mind too much if I can just go off for a few hours to catch a movie and be back for lunch. Instead I had to be away for almost 12 hours. Hmmm, another reason to......

Another New Year! Ho Hum or Hurray?

First, need to mention that yesterday was Awi's birthday. For the first time ever, I sent her flowers at the office. It's unbelievable how difficult it is to get a florist to deliver in this area. Nevertheless, the flowers reached her office, intact and she was pleasantly surprised. Even managed to envy some of her officemates. In the evening, we went to Awana for dinner, I had lamb chops and this large bowl of ais kacang. It;'s so huge, 10 people could've eaten it and it would be enough for all!! Went home around 10, caught the KLCC Countdown concert on TV, fell asleep before midnight and only woke up at 12.30 am. So, I missed all the fireworks, countdown bla bla bla. Do I sound like a sore loser? Hehehe, maybe but I just don't really care about the new year celebration. What counts is what will happen in this new year.

Oh yes, believe it or not, it's a working day here on New Year in Terengganu. I've gotten used to the idea similarly to working on Sundays. It's weird but what the hell, it's just the rules, the norm over here. So, either get used to it or leave town. I'm inclined to choose the latter option sooner than later. :)

Leave all the tension at the door

I once read a story about a man who had a lot of problems at work. However, when he goes back to his family every day, he said that he will leave all his troubles at the door. He metaphorically called it, hanging his problems at a trouble tree outside the door to his house. That story came back to mind yesterday because I was having a bad day at work. A system which falls under my responsibility will be launched come the new year. However, there are many issues pertaining this system and since it's going to affect everyone at work, I can expect a lot of calls as a result of people having problems with it. The problem is that I don't think I'll be able to deal with all the requests, all the problems that need solving and the zilion things that needs to be done. These things take time and some people just cannot and will not understand it. Sometimes, it is good to put yourself in other people's shoes and try to look things from their perspectives. Being a service provider gives a totally outlook on how to deal with people on various issues and matters. However, it's just that lately I see the IT service providers are being perceived as those causing for high costs in a company's expenditure. I just want to see a company operate just one hour without any computer, network, phone, email. Nothing. Just paper and pen. See how long they can last.

Anyway, I'm ranting off the topic. What I want to say is that, even though after a bad and hectic day at work, we shouldn't bring those problems back home to our family. Our problems do not belong with our family. Yesterday, I was racing at high speed from the office to home with the music blaring loud on the car speakers. But it was when I saw Haziq, smiling and laughing with my wife, only then I can also smile and feel relaxed. A child can have such a strong effect on us. The problems as though melted away for the moment. Whatever it is, problems will also be present in our lives. Only a dead person doesn't have problems, well perhaps a different set of problems, depending on your beliefs. :)

Off to watch ALIAS now.

PS: The family in KL is having a celebration dinner at PJ Hilton for Ucop's success. I recalled going there when I was younger. Maybe one day, it will be easier for us in Kerteh here to join in such occassions.

Congratulations, Ucop

Today PMR results was announced nationwide. My youngest brother, Ucop (younger by 12 years) sat for the exams earlier this year. I SMS him earlier in the day, to just be cool and be thankful for whatever God had decided for him. I'm sure he had worked hard, studied late into the night and did his best. Alhamdulillah, Ucop got excellent results, obtaining 8As. Ucop, if you're reading this, just want to tell you, enjoy the moment but this is only a small step towards the future. The path is so much winding and challenging. I know that you're matured enough to realise this and not to be too taken up by the moment. Nevertheless, you have earned this reward and I don't think any gift can replace the feeling of satisfaction you must be feeling now. So no need to give any presents lah. :) Keep up the good work and good luck entering Form Four, and hopefully, a new school as well!!

Still Here In KL

We're supposed to be on our way to Kerteh at the moment but our plans just went haywired. It all started on Christmas Eve, when I went to bed early, around 8.30 because we want to start journey to Bidor at around 3 am. I felt kind of weird around my legs and arms, like lenguh2 after a few hours inside the gym. Didn't think much about it but along the way, while driving, I started feeling discomfort. My head was feeling heavy and I was a bit flushed around the face. I dreaded that a fever is falling upon me. We reached Bidor at 11.15 am and I went straight to bed. Didn't help much until I swallowed two pills of Panadol. A sweat broke and the head didn't feel that heavy anymore. Come night, the same discomfort is felt again, took Panadol some more and in the morning, I felt better. Oh yes, the reason we were in Bidor is because Awi's sister, Nyah will be performing the Haj this year with her husband, Abang Ngah. And Awi's parents will be 'babysitting' their 5 children in Kangar. As we couldn't send them to the the airport, up until Bidor just have to suffice lah.

Yesterday afternoon, we then drove to KL, bound for Bangsar. Have to mention this here. We didn't tell anyone except Ucop that we'll be in KL. So, once reached home, Mak & Cu were pleasantly surprised while Adiknor and Abah were equally as well. It's proven that Ucop can definitely keep a secret from everyone!! That night, we went to majlis tahlil of my grand anutie who died last Saturday. It was the seventh night of tahlil so I was happy to be able to make it. During the night, I started feeling the same discomfort, swallowed a couple more Panadol, and the fever subsided.

Throughout the night, I was feeling unwell and this morning, I decided to go and see the doctor for medication. I wanted to get MC because I don't think I'm in the best condition to drive all the way to Kerteh later during the day. He didn't want to give me the MC saying I should get better by today. During Adiknor's birthday lunch, I began to feel pain in my limbs and it was getting so cold. My body temperature shot up to 40 degrees Celcius. I put myself under blanket to sweat it out but I was unsuccessful. Hence, I made the decision to stay put in KL and either get MC or unpaid leave tomorrow since I don't have any leave left.

I still feel shitty, my head is pounding and I feel weak all over. I really dread driving home tomorrow but I guess I have to do it nevertheless. Another reason why I want to move to KL as soon as possible. All these travelling will worsen me sooner or later. :)

Back early from training

Don't tell the boss but the training at at a neighbouring plant finished early and here I am, in the comfort of my room at home, at 2.15 in the afternoon. Must make the most of this valuable free time. Hehehe. Suddenly I realised that I haven't updated my blog for a few days already.

The training which I attended with Wan, was mostly for the IT people. Within our organisation, the IT people are all facing some sort of predicament. According to the plan presented to us about 8 months ago, the whole IT operations, involving almost 600 people, will be outsourced to another company. The problem is that not many of us are convinced that this new company will be able to handle the overall IT operations of one of the largest corporation in the country. As it is also, the IT people are struggling to keep up. The change of management and transition to another setup will surely cause distress to the people involved and disruption to overall service of the many companies within the corporation.

I am also involved in this scenario. I changed skill group from Process Engineering to IT because I really like the field and I know I can be really good at it. I am enjoying my time at the moment, with the people and also the work. However, to take up the offer to the new company, which by the way has not been presented to us in anyway, will require an element of gambling on my side. I don't know how that company will be, what the culture is going to be like, who my new bosses will be, what is my future with this new company, will I be easily laid off if they ran out of money and won't be able to pay my salary? I've come across this one company, where its staff has to work without any salary being paid to them for 3 months. I am afraid this could happen with the new company. The risk is higher because the return is higher. That is the maxim of investing, higher risk, higher profit. My current employer at least is a good paymaster which I can be sure of because if the company goes under, basically the whole country will be in trouble. So, I'm kind of reassured by that fact.

So, what do I do? Do I take the risk of doing something I like but I don't really hell know what the work is going to be like in the new setup. I guess I won't mind that much if I'm in KL because the HQ is there, the main people is there and I suppose it is better to be near where the key people are. Instead, I'm here on the East Coast and I doubt that I will meet the top management very often. These kind of things are important if you're working in a big corporation. And, one more thing, sorry if I offend any of you working in KL, the work here is so much critical and exhausting. You have plants running 24/7 and you just need to make sure that they can maintain operations. If not, you'll really get screwed if their PCs suddenly crashed or they cannot access their mail during a weekend. So, unless there's higher pay for people working here, I don't think I should join the new company.

What if I remain with my current employer? Not too bad, just that I won't have any work or position. Some people might not mind that but I don't think I'll survive too long in that way. My brain will go mushy. So, I need to get hold of a vacant position, of which I can do the work and like as well. My main concern is that I don't want that position to be here in the East Coast. It's back to my original intention of wanting to set up base in KL. I don't want to work here for any longer that I need to. I've put up 4 years of my life here so I think it's time to go back where I belong. The situation gets more complicated because Awi is working here and it won't be easy for her to get a release from her boss. Apparently, there's a lot of her colleagues who are waiting to get a transfer in KL. I know that with her skills and experience, she can find work within the corporation easily in KL. But just because her boss won't release her, she'll be stuck here until she is allowed to go. Isn't that a sucky situation?

I promised Awi that I won't leave her and Haziq here all alone. But what if I can secure position in KL before she can get a transfer to KL? Do I decline that position? Do I accept and then commute every weekend back here? I know all these depends on a lot of things but I need to think about them now. It's such a headache and it's so difficult to make the correct choices for the benefit of your family and yourself.

For the time being, the only thing I can do is just pray to Allah for the best possible outcome. It is a challenge and what is life without decisions to be made and problems to solve? I just hope I'll be able to make the correct decision when the time comes, that's all.

Turning 27!

It was my 27th birthday yesterday, 14 December 2003. It's not such an immensely long period of time, only 27 years since I landed on this Earth. In the hereafter, 27 years will be just like a blink of an eye. But I suppose I've gone through quite a lot in the past 27 years. Abah commented to me when he called to wish me Happy Birthday, that he only got married at 28. I've already got a son at 27. Hehehe. Talk about being advanced.

Anyway, didn't do anything special on this supposedly special day. Came to work but my god, I was so not in the mood. The family in Bangsar joined Abah's office trip to Kuala Selangor and from what I heard, it was really a fun trip. Its been a while since we went somewhere as a family. Hopefully, we can do something like that once in a while. Of course, it's nice to be at the house in Bangsar, eating together etc, but going on a trip or holiday with your extended family, it's kind of like old times when we were small. Oh well, good things never last and you just have to rely on memories to relive it.

Awi told me that she wants to bring me out to dinner somewhere, just the three of us (Haziq will act as the chaperone). I suggested Awana Kijal Resort, that's the only closest classy place around here. What I didn't know was that she had been scheming with Shai, Am, Junai and other close friends on having a surprise birthday for me!! On our way out to Awana, Awi got an emergency call from Shai, saying that Junai was vomitting and feeling sick. Well, Junai had complained a few times to me during the day that he wasn't feeling well so I didn't suspect anything lah. So, we got to Shai's house, and he came running out. While driving up to the house, I noticed some people sitting around, which was rather suspicious to me. Come on lah, if someone is like sick near you, wouldn't you help by doing something like sending the poor guy to the clinic or something? Well, being the sharp guy I am, I had a strong feeling something was up, went close to the door, heard some soft voices and Junai stifling a laugh, I knew it then, they're having a surprise party for me. My first thought, "Oh well, there goes my Western dinner down the drain!!". :)

Anyway, there were cake, candles, nasi dagang (a Terengganu delicacy) and spaghetti-ala Shai. For entertainment the host had prepared a home-made karaoke parlour right in his living room. It has been a while since I did something like last night. So, all in all, a great time indeed, in the middle of sleepy Kerteh town.

Departmental Joy

The department (Finance + ICM) had an internal 'feast' to celebrate the Hari Raya (what else is there to celebrate in this month?). In previous years, usually an open house was organised by the dept in which we invited colleagues from other department to attend a feast. However, we decided to have a smaller scale 'party', which I think was more enjoyable and also there was more time to enjoy all the food. Together with the event, we also celebrate our big boss (Mr Patrick) birthday which fell on that day. I wanted to join as well in contributing to the party because my birthday will be in a few day's time, so just this once, I'd like to share it with friends at work.

I really like the department in which I'm working in now. It's a considerably smaller department that the one I was attached to before, so everyone knows everyone. I can't even remember all the operators' names when I was with the Operations dept, there were too many of them. We also do things together more often among Finance & ICM staff. Earlier this year, we had a Family outing in Kuantan, which was probably my first and last time I'll be able to join. It's rather a shame because Awi and Haziq couldn't attend it because Awi had just given birth to Haziq and they're all in Awi's hometown. It'd be kind of cool to bring the whole family and take part in all the events that were organised. Add to that, the numerous times we had lunch together, there is a good sense of togetherness among us. I'm not sure that I'd find the same sort of family spirit when I move to another company and department.

So, in the meantime, might as well enjoy what I have left. I've mentioned before the good relationship that I have with my colleagues in ICM. And there were times of conflict with the people on the first floor, but it's more like a big brother-small brother kind of thing. It doesn't last and at the end of the day, we realised that everyone just wants to do their jobs well. As the saying goes, all good things will come to an end. I believe things will change for me and for us in the coming months and while I'm not afraid of change, the apprehension is still there. Who knows what will happen next?

Lazy Afternoon

Don't tell the boss but I'm lazing around at the moment in the office. My notebook encountered some problem around noon, it became slow and suddenly upon restarting it, I just cannot log into the network. How ironic isn't it? The IT guy even have some problems with his PC. Anyway, I couldn't do much work without my notebook (just shows how much I use it in my daily work), so I did some 5S on my very messy work area. I removed unwanted paper and documents, cleaned the area a bit and pray that it will remain in such pristine condition for many more months.

So at the moment, I'm waiting for the time to go home around 5 and at the same time, downloading some apps for my new gadget, Treo 600. It's a pda-phone manufactured by Handspring, which runs on Palm OS. My other colleagues like Pocket PC so much, even Am is contemplating to buy the latest product by O2, XDAII. I supppose we're all just PDA or gadget freaks and considering we're in Terengganu, we must be among the most high-tech people here. Hehehe, no insult to the locals, okay?

We all each had a session with the boss yesterday which he said is part of his coaching for all the staff. It was quite good for him to do that because we were to share our concerns and get feedback from his as our superior. He also doesn't mind for us to give comments on his performance because he intends to improve and become better. I kind of like it for the boss to be like that because we can just be open and speak our minds with him. Not many bosses are like that. The one I used to have is kind of intimidating and liked to treat and make us feel small. It's not conducive to a person. Maybe because he thinks he's cleverer than everyone else.

Anyway, it's another afternoon to laze around, not that I like to do it often because there's so much to be done. However, circumstances doesn't allow it so might as well make the most of it lah...

The West Wing

West Wing is one of the best things that has been shown on TV. I just love this series. Hey, don't think that someone who follows Smallville and ALIAS cannot like something serious like West Wing. Basically, it is a drama on the lives of The West Wing staff, who for those without any ideas what the term means, is the President's of the United States office at the White House. The most powerful person in the world cannot do all the administration of the super power on it's own, right? He would need a chief of staff, press secretary, communication directors, aides, clerks, typist and so on. Over here, we have the Prime Minister's Office but the name West Wing certainly pushes the 'cool' level up a notch.

Some people would just say that the drama is a propaganda exercise by the Americans but as long as you can think for yourself and not let your mind be influenced, then who can stop you from enjoying it? The storylines are excellent with a lot of tension and interesting plots. In Malaysia, it is currently showing the 3rd season but I think it is already in its 5th in the US. I've just completed watching the whole 2nd season on DVD and I believe I watched the whole 22 seasons within one week. :)

I've always been interested in politics and to see how power is actually be exercised by the US, even though it's fictional, but in practice, that is what being done. I'm sure the producers want to make the drama as real as possible and you can see the quality of the storyline for each episode. I'd totally recommend anyone to watch The West Wing and you will have some understanding how those people in the corridors of power work and function.

Now, I'm trying to find the 3rd season on DVD but searching in Amazon.com, the search comes up to nothing. Watching on TV3 is just not the same.

Rejuvenated in KL

I haven't been sleeping much the last two night. I came down to KL on Thursday evening to attend a cousin's wedding on Friday & Saturday. As I've mentioned before, I feel as though I don't need sleep because it's just refreshing and energetic to be here in my hometown city. I suppose it is true when people say, absence makes the heart grows fonder. I left KL when I was barely out of high school, headed to the UK for A-levels and university. I came back every year during the summer break but I guess it's not the same when you're working compared to when you're studying. There's more opportunity to do things and experience stuff here if you've started working. Lately, I've been contemplating to come back to KL for good. I think it's the best option even though Awi likes to be in Kerteh as she's been comfortable lliving in the house I bought. There are some good things about being in a quiet place like Kerteh but if we have to travel down to KL and Bidor every other month, it kinds of wearies the body and mind. The couple of accidents I encountered recently sort of heightened this line of thinking in my head. Awi advised me to sembahyang istikharah, to seek guidance from Allah, which I will of course. It is a big move and I need to think about Awi as well, as she needs to be get a transfer to KL together with me. There are a thousand things to be done but I believe it is something which we have to do because in the end, I just don't see myself settling down anywhere else.

Of main priority is to find a job in KL. And then for Awi's transfer as well. Then, a place to live, moving stuff down here (which I truly dread!!) but if I don't declare it someplace, then I won't have the commitment to achieve it. So, Insyallah and Good willing, we will try to find a way to get to KL within the next year or so.

Celebrate, good times....come on!!

Let us all sing to the tune of a song I believe to be by Lionel Richie. Hehehe, not that we're partying our socks of in 'Islamic state' of Terengganu but the weather is fairly good and we had our Jamuan Hari Raya at the company today. Seriously, the weather is so like good old London in the past few days except that the rain makes you wet. I'm not kidding you, the rain in London doesn't wet you. I've walked in the rain from my apartment to college which is a good 45 minutes walk and I won't get drenched like I would over here if exposed for just one minute. Someone should do a study of this peculiar phenomenon.

Anyway, it was a rather good affair. I had to become the 'bidan terjun' MC for the event but I suppose I managed to pull it off rather well except that I wasn't properly dressed for the event. Should've worn my baju melayu but it was a last minute thing and I couldn't be bothered to drive all the way to the house to get it. Food was nice, of course. A variety of food which fits the occassion; nasi minyak, lemang, satay and rendang. I'm sure everyone had a good time stuffing themselves to the max. I know a few people at our table who did!!

The whole gang in the department is in today with Am back from his looooooong break. He has so much leave and I'm left with none, nothing, zippy doo dah. Usually, I can carry forward a few days to next year but not this time. You see, I took a lot of leave when Awi was giving birth to Haziq. It's not that I'm complaining but I'm a teeny weeny bit jealous of Am because he has so much leave!!!

Nevertheless, it's good that everyone's (except for this one Sarawakian!!) back here. all safe and sound, raring to work and hopefully at the same time, have fun. We need to enjoy our work and in this God-foresaken place, what else is there to do?

A better maintained nation

It finally stopped raining yesterday evening after an almost continuous downpour since the weekend. If I'm not mistaken, these downpour which occured for days and causing floods in several areas happened every year around this time. It's the monsoon, if I remember correctly from my Geography days, is Monsoon Timur Laut (North-East). Each year we'll hear of houses being flooded and mud-filled, of people getting stranded on the road because certain sections had water level coming up. It's all the same stories and you'd wonder why is it that with all the technology and knowledge that we have, we couldn't do something to avoid or prevent such occurrences from happening. Yesterday during the heavy rain, I heard the authorities in Paka was digging up a pathway for the excess water to flow back into the sea or something like that. By right, we don't have to take up corrective actions like this while the problem is happening. It should be done during the hot season when it is easier to work rather than while water was splashing all over the place.

I really, really hope that we can learn from all these. The new leadership of Malaysia, well the head anyway, has been promoting better maintenance, integrity in our life and improved services. His foot soldiers (the ministers) were recently talking the same talk as the new boss is, understandably. Well, talking is easy and it will take more than hot air to change the mindset of a whole nation. Hell, to change a mindset of a department and company would take years and it's uncertain whether it will be successful or not after putting in millions of ringgit.

I'm totally for the new direction that the leadership is heading. I just hope that there would be longer lasting effects than just visits to government agencies and showing up at disaster areas. But politicians being politicians.......well, time will tell.

Monsoon season is here!!

Brrr, it's so cold here in the office today. Am and Wan haven't come back from Raya break yet. The boss is here, by the way. Whatever it is, I'm glad to be safely back in Kerteh after the long drive yesterday. I was quite anxious before the drive because firstly, I was thinking about the heavy traffic. Secondly, heavy rain had struck the East Coast non-stop and in some places flooding has started. It was quite a weird drive actually. We pushed off from Bidor around 10.30 in the morning. There were many cars on the highway but no traffic jams. Reached KL within 1.5 hours. Really wished we're living in KL, driving back and fro to Bidor will be such a walk in the park. But noo, we have to pushed eastwards towards Gombak and Karak highway. The weather was still good and sunny and we made good time. There were a lot of cars on the other lane, coming towards KL from the East Coast states. I tried to be extra careful and be on the lookout for people making illegal 'potong'.

Once reaching Kuantan, only then it all began. Dark clouds, rain pelting down by the buckets. But still there wasn't at any time that we came to a standstill, unlike those on the other lane. Pity them. My sister's fiancee was driving down from KT with his family at that time. Wondered what time they reached KL last night?

Anyway, we were back home safe and sound. A bit wet and tired but safe, nevertheless. Safety has become such a major thing for me now, especially road safety. It is the one thing that you spend most time in a day doing and of which is the riskiest. It's a dangerous thing, do take note of it. You can be the most careful driver in the world but someone can still drive his/her vehicle into yours. I need to limit these long distance driving because I have a family to look after now and I never, never want to be responsible for causing hurt to them in any way.

So, the plan is put into motion now, hopefully, there'll be some progress to ensure of it's implementation. Can't say much yet, I'll update them here whenever possible.

Back to Work (for One Day!!)

Well, here I am, all alone in the office, with No Doubt Best of CD to accompany me and the occassional visit by Mr Patrick to the office. I had to say that luckily there is someone here in the office today because Mr Patrick's computer screwed up. Fortunately I am knowledgeable enough to fix his PC, all those years tinkering the home PC and also being in the IT profession, I should have some idea of repairing a PC, right?

The last blog entry was written the day before raya. A lot, and I'm saying a lot, had happened since then. Anyway, just to recap, on Raya morning, we all went to the mosque, did the prayers and came back to bersalam-salaman with my parents and siblings. Last year, me and Awi didn't do this because we were in Bidor on the first day of Raya. I really like this part of the day, where everyone is happy and all. I really missed it while studying in the UK, having to ask for forgiveness from my parents over the phone, which is never the same. After the sumptious meal of nasi tomato and kuzi, off we went to all the relatives houses in KL; my mother's aunt, my father's uncles and my uncles and aunties. Most of the family members on my mothers' side spend Raya in KL while on my father's side, they will go back to Kuala Terengganu. Nevertheless, I'll always prefer to spend Raya in KL (sorry Awi).

In the evening, after doing a lot packing into the car, we (Awi, Haziq & myself) drove off to Bidor to spend the other half of the Raya vacation there. The drive was okay, we exit the highway to enter Bidor around 7.40 pm. Don't know why, for some reason, I missed the turning into Awi's kampung and tried to manouver an illegal U-turn. I didn't see a divider was there in time, and a car coming from the other direction slammed into the left side passenger door. I remembered Awi sreaming something to me but it was too late to do anything. I parked the car to the road side and in the rain evaluated the damage to my car and to other person's. His was a Proton Iswara and the damage was to the front bumper and headlights. I admitted that it was my mistake and will bear any cost to repair. The damage to my beautiful Honda is not that bad upon close inspection, it has a strong body despite more than 12 years old. (Check out my photoblog).

Well, I think this is the second accident I've been involved in less than a month. Someone told me that I'm a clumsy driver while another person commented that I'm too don't-carish about safety. Hmm, whatever it is, I need to be more careful on the road. I don't really mind if it's just me who's injured but if it affects other people who I loved, then I don't want to do something that I will regret for the rest of my life. It was a split second decision to take that turning, maybe I was chasing time to pray Maghrib because it was almost 8 pm, maybe it was too dark (the lights were not ON that night) or maybe I was too confident. Whatever it is, perhaps it is best to wait and evaluate a particular option, even while you're on the road or anywhere else.

I know that I have this attitude of do now and deal with the consequences later. I remember, about 6 years ago, when I was on top of a crane, in the middle of London's Earl's Court waiting to do a bungee jump. In my mind, it was basically, never mind what happens, you just want to make the jump and I did get off the crane and made the jump. I suppose, being a father and having my own family doesn't permit me to have such an attitude anymore. In all accidents, it just take one wrong move in a split second moment to destroy everything that you've worked so far.

All Good Things Must Come to An End

Tomorrow is Hari Raya and so marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. I must admit that this year's Ramadan is truly an enjoyable one. I know there were a lot of anguish in other parts of the world that my fellow Muslims had to endure such as in Arab Saudi, Iraq and Afghanistan but on a personal basis, I had a damn good time. We spent a lot of breaking fast with friends and that sort of heightened the 'enjoyable' status of fasting.

With tomorrow as well, we will then drive up to Bidor, the hometown of Awi to spend the other half of the break with her family. The past four days had just flown and it is true that time flies when you're having fun. As mentioned previously, Awi didn't really like my 'adrenaline rush' when I'm in KL but that is the fact. I'm getting minimal sleep but I'm not groggy or totally energyless. Nevertheless, as a husband I need to be fair, as what is espoused by Islam so it is bye bye KL and hello Bidor for me. I will miss the moments spent with my family. Just for records, here are some of things that we did as a family.

1. Breaking fast together at the Bangsar home on the old Italian long table which had been around in the house almost as long as I have lived.

2. Tadarus (reading Quran) before the breaking of fast.

3. Shopping at MV with my two sisters and their other significant halves.

4. Lepaking in Lucky Garden with my brothers after terawih prayers.

5. Watching Smallville together and discussing about what happened afterwards. (I know it's sad, but it's just what we do)

And many other things but most of all, I just enjoy their company and hopefully, they will also have enjoyed ours.

Tomorrow morning, we will go to the mosque for the Hari Raya prayers, after that we will come back to the house to bersalam-salaman, take photographs and have delicious meal cooked by Mak. Haziq will surely be wearing the new baju melayu that his auntie (Adiknor) has bought for him. They'll be a lot of pictures taken of him and his cousin, Iskandar, you can be sure of that.

Anyway, I've had a superb time and hopefully, there will be many excellent moments such as this in the future.

Adrenaline rush

One thing I noticed when I'm in KL and to the annoyance of Awi is that I seem to have a strong ability to resist sleep. It's as though when I'm back in the house, I don't want to lose the opportunity to maximise the time I'm here on something as trivial as sleep. I've only slept 2.5 hrs last night and the night before around the same period of time as well. Hehehe, must be some sort of adrenaline rush giving me the strength to go by and minimal sleep. It's not that I'm fighting sleepiness, I just don't feel that sleepy, that's all.

I met up with Bik and Farouk yesterday afternoon. Just to beraya with them before Raya actually falls upon us in 2 days time. I know I won't be able to see them during the Raya month due to time constraint, as has been the case in the past couple of years. It's tough but I just have to accept things as they are.

Another early morning for me here. Not sure of my plans for today but didn't really mind if it's just lazing around the house.