Sunday, December 30, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Sanggup kah kita?
Berkorban apa saja.....
Harta atau pun nyawa
Itulah kasih mesra
Sejati dan mulia.....
SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL ADHA.
Maaf kiranaya ada salah dan silap.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
3 Hari 2 Malam With a Budu Twist
For the past several years, it has been very hard for me to get everyone in the family to be available for a vacation together. And even though I grumble at this, I suppose it cannot be helped due to the different schedules everybody has. So nowadays, I have to be content with whoever happens to be having their holidays at the same time as I plan a getaway.
The most recent getaway would be, of course, the one we had throughout this week. It was a two-part 3 Hari 2 Malam vacation in firstly, Penang, and then in Kelantan. I seem to be going to these two places a lot these days. Maybe I should go to somewhere else instead, say oh, Sarawak? ;)))
Anyway, the ice-kacang seller whom I frequently pay a visit whenever I'm in Penang was so happy to see me being accompanied by Bea and my three available sons. "Wah, you have your family with you this time, Encik!" he said in the manner of a person who had just laid his eyes upon a business opportunity.
But this entry is not going to be on food. At least, not the gist of it, no. It's about how bad things happen to good people and then other people laugh at it because they think it's funny.
From Penang, we went back to my mother's place in Kelantan to deal with some urgent family matters. After spending another 3 Hari 2 Malam over there, we came back yesterday i.e. on Friday. On our way back, I decided to pop a visit to our little orchard somewhere in Jeli. It isn't a really big orchard, mind you, but still big enough for elephants and Orang Asli to come and help themselves to our fruits. I never knew there were that many Orang Asli people living in the depths of Jeli until I bought this orchard. And the same goes for elephants too.
Anyway, since we didn't take a satisfactory breakfast, we decided to have a very late lunch at the only eatery to be found in the vicinity of the 'fruit farm'. They served us rice, Soup and Gulai Ayam Kampung and glorious ulam with a big bowl of budu. Yes, budu. Since this was the real authentic Anchovy Sauce, Bea was already licking her lips at the mere sight of the budu bowl.
Mind you, we were eating in what was literally the middle of a jungle, thus it shouldn't have come as a surprise when one by one, we were attacked by pesky mosquitoes. Every minute or so, one of us would be making hand gestures as if we were shoo-ing away flies whereas in fact, it was mosquitoes.
Then, it happened.
A really big, vicious-looking mosquito with a proboscis so big I could have sworn it was the size of a baby's finger, came and landed on Bea's right arm. Bea, who was blissfully scooping budu onto her ulam which she creatively folded to form a miniature shovel, let out a small scream and asked for my assistance in getting rid of the blood-sucking menace.
Being the knight in shining armour, how could I ignore the sobbing pleas of my damsel in distress? So I got out my shining sword - hand, actually - and proceeded to what youngsters nowadays refer to as 'lay the smackdown' on that monstrosity of a creature.
Oh how cruel fate deals its blows to unsuspecting victims.
The moment my hand whacked that mosquito and sent him to meet his Maker, out of nowhere did a bowl of budu come leaping out right at me. And as if in slow-motion, I saw clearly how the dull grey, pungent liquid shot out of the bowl to come straight at my brand new, white-with-a-hint-of peach linen shirt; and how Bea's face distorted into one that of warning about imminent danger but funnily enough, with no sounds; and how my children gaped at the entire scene, just as I was.
When I finally came back to my senses, my white-with-a-hint-of-peach linen shirt had magically turned into a grey colour; Bea was crying from laughing too hard (and my God, can that woman laugh); and the rest of the diners seemed to be amazed at how we had managed to finish our bowl of budu so fast.
Now, you go picture the sight of Peachy-linen-wearing Pycno all drenched in BUDU!!
Of course after that, I had to go and change shirts by the roadside. To the motorists who happen to pass by me at that time, I'm sorry for the unsightly scene; it couldn't be helped.
P/S - I was just wondering what if, just what if, it was the other way around.......can I even dare to twinge my facial muscle to laugh at Budu-drenched Bea???
Ah, life is so unfair.
The most recent getaway would be, of course, the one we had throughout this week. It was a two-part 3 Hari 2 Malam vacation in firstly, Penang, and then in Kelantan. I seem to be going to these two places a lot these days. Maybe I should go to somewhere else instead, say oh, Sarawak? ;)))
Anyway, the ice-kacang seller whom I frequently pay a visit whenever I'm in Penang was so happy to see me being accompanied by Bea and my three available sons. "Wah, you have your family with you this time, Encik!" he said in the manner of a person who had just laid his eyes upon a business opportunity.
But this entry is not going to be on food. At least, not the gist of it, no. It's about how bad things happen to good people and then other people laugh at it because they think it's funny.
From Penang, we went back to my mother's place in Kelantan to deal with some urgent family matters. After spending another 3 Hari 2 Malam over there, we came back yesterday i.e. on Friday. On our way back, I decided to pop a visit to our little orchard somewhere in Jeli. It isn't a really big orchard, mind you, but still big enough for elephants and Orang Asli to come and help themselves to our fruits. I never knew there were that many Orang Asli people living in the depths of Jeli until I bought this orchard. And the same goes for elephants too.
Anyway, since we didn't take a satisfactory breakfast, we decided to have a very late lunch at the only eatery to be found in the vicinity of the 'fruit farm'. They served us rice, Soup and Gulai Ayam Kampung and glorious ulam with a big bowl of budu. Yes, budu. Since this was the real authentic Anchovy Sauce, Bea was already licking her lips at the mere sight of the budu bowl.
Mind you, we were eating in what was literally the middle of a jungle, thus it shouldn't have come as a surprise when one by one, we were attacked by pesky mosquitoes. Every minute or so, one of us would be making hand gestures as if we were shoo-ing away flies whereas in fact, it was mosquitoes.
Then, it happened.
A really big, vicious-looking mosquito with a proboscis so big I could have sworn it was the size of a baby's finger, came and landed on Bea's right arm. Bea, who was blissfully scooping budu onto her ulam which she creatively folded to form a miniature shovel, let out a small scream and asked for my assistance in getting rid of the blood-sucking menace.
Being the knight in shining armour, how could I ignore the sobbing pleas of my damsel in distress? So I got out my shining sword - hand, actually - and proceeded to what youngsters nowadays refer to as 'lay the smackdown' on that monstrosity of a creature.
Oh how cruel fate deals its blows to unsuspecting victims.
The moment my hand whacked that mosquito and sent him to meet his Maker, out of nowhere did a bowl of budu come leaping out right at me. And as if in slow-motion, I saw clearly how the dull grey, pungent liquid shot out of the bowl to come straight at my brand new, white-with-a-hint-of peach linen shirt; and how Bea's face distorted into one that of warning about imminent danger but funnily enough, with no sounds; and how my children gaped at the entire scene, just as I was.
When I finally came back to my senses, my white-with-a-hint-of-peach linen shirt had magically turned into a grey colour; Bea was crying from laughing too hard (and my God, can that woman laugh); and the rest of the diners seemed to be amazed at how we had managed to finish our bowl of budu so fast.
Now, you go picture the sight of Peachy-linen-wearing Pycno all drenched in BUDU!!
Of course after that, I had to go and change shirts by the roadside. To the motorists who happen to pass by me at that time, I'm sorry for the unsightly scene; it couldn't be helped.
P/S - I was just wondering what if, just what if, it was the other way around.......can I even dare to twinge my facial muscle to laugh at Budu-drenched Bea???
Ah, life is so unfair.
Friday, November 23, 2007
It's Raining Cats And Dogs
Hooray! My internet connection is up and about again. Previously, I would be waiting for hours at end for a single page to finish downloading. Out of all the blogs I frequent, Mynn's was the worst (no offense taken, I hope). I suppose it's because Mynn has been eagerly touring Malaysia of late and snapping pictures even more so and uploading them onto his site. Beautiful pictures, no doubt - especially those of the udang galah. I would have tagged along just for those giant prawns. Perhaps next time Mynn?
Anyway, all those promises of Streamyx of it being so cheap and affordable and opening the windows to the world, and their promise of fast internet connection...what happened to them when the connection at my house come to a grinding halt?
Well first of all, those promises went out the window. Windows which were opened by themselves in the first place, I suppose. Me being the 'computer wizard' that I am, amazingly got Bea to do all the work in trying to solve our Streamyx woes. Unfortunately, Bea happens to be an incompetent apprentice and she, in turn, tried to get Customer Care to figure out the problem. And just like so many automated telephone responses you get nowadays, that was practically useless and expensive and got Bea nowhere. One of the suggestions they gave was to unplug the telephone from the socket. After doing so, Bea had to call them using her handphone just to tell them that there was no improvement in the speed (which was around 128kbps at that time)
I then waved my magic wand and got my second son to solve the problem, thinking that since he belongs to the IT generation, he should know a thing or two about kilobytes. Mind you, I belong to the BSJ (batu sejam) generation. I'm still struggling to adapt to kmph and now they are forcing me to understand kbps. It's too much I tell you.
My children don't go out that often so the computer is somewhat their 'gateway' to the outside world. And since my second son is the one who makes full use of the internet to socialise with his equally IT-literate friends, he tackled the job rather enthusiastically, I must say. Sadly, enthusiasm alone does not get you around much when it comes to slow internet speed. He failed miserably to have the problem sorted out over the phone.
I was beginning to run out magic. But wait! I still had one last trick up my sleeve - my eldest son. So I conveniently pulled him out of a black top hat, pretty much the way magicians pull out rabbits out of theirs, and sent him to do battle with those evil trolls at TMnet.
And my, did they have some ugly looking trolls.
On Saturday morning, my eldest and I went to the nearest TMnet shop (or TMPoint, as my son pointed out) to complain in person. Stepping into the spanking clean building, we were greeted by the cheerful receptionist who cheerfully asked "Nak bayar bil ke pakcik?" to which I quipped back "Bil saya tak pernah tertunggak. Sentiasa berbayar. Saya datang ni nak complain pasal perkhidmatan". She then dully handed me a number.
To be fair to them, I was attended to promptly. The unfortunate thing was that I was attended to by an ugly male troll who's smile resembled something like this.
Yes, I am being mean but I'm just refering to his smile and it really looked like that.
Anyway, I said politely that I wanted to put in a complaint concerning the slow speed of our internet which has persisted for the past few months. Before I could even elaborate, he quickly replied "Saya tak boleh buat apa-apa" and asked whether I had contacted Customer Care. My son answered back saying that we had already tried that numerous times to no avail and that a technician should be employed instead to solve the problem. Again, the troll gave another number. I was starting to get annoyed and told him that his numbers did not help at all.
It was at this point that two lady co-workers sensed imminent danger and come to the troll's rescue. One of them asked how slow our connection was while the other suggested a complaint form be given for us to filled in. The troll got up and disappeared into the back.
While waiting, I couldn't help but to blurt out rather loudly "Yang cekap hanya dalam iklan sahajalah". One of the female co-workers might have overheard my comment and shifted around uneasily in her seat. The troll came back, a form was filled and a promise was made that action would be taken latest on Tuesday.
Despite all that, Tuesday came and still there was no improvement. Since my eldest was back in class, the next best person who could keep pycno blog-happy i.e Bea, called them up and asked about the promised service. The operator then asked Bea for a complaint reference number. How were we supposed to know about a reference number when we had already given our address and telephone number? So, like it or not, another complaint had to be made and this time Bea insisted for a 'nombor rujukan'.
At long last, the next morning a technician was sent while we were in office. Guess what? The matter was attended to in just a few short minutes. When I told my eldest about the incident, his simple reply was that this is what happens when ducks and chickens try to talk to each other.
What I suspect is that those people at Streamyx do not have enough manpower to attend the problems of the customers every single time. So they try to get the users to solve their own woes over the phone, guided by some operator who might as well be digging his nose as he reads out the troubleshooting guide from his computer. And most of the time, they know that customers like me will not understand and thus put the blame on themselves or the computer.
My advice is to personally go there, fill in a complaint form and most importantly remember to take the blessed nombor rujukan aduan. Equally important would be to keep calling them, reminding them about the complaint which has been made and to read out loud the NOMBOR RUJUKAN ADUAN. Maybe it's also worth threatening to terminate your subscription and ask them for other alternative ISPs. (That's Internet Service Provider for those of you who don't know what it means)
And a final note to Mr Troll: Do try to smile. Even limping Mayo knows how to make someone feel warm and fuzzy inside by smiling.
Anyway, all those promises of Streamyx of it being so cheap and affordable and opening the windows to the world, and their promise of fast internet connection...what happened to them when the connection at my house come to a grinding halt?
Well first of all, those promises went out the window. Windows which were opened by themselves in the first place, I suppose. Me being the 'computer wizard' that I am, amazingly got Bea to do all the work in trying to solve our Streamyx woes. Unfortunately, Bea happens to be an incompetent apprentice and she, in turn, tried to get Customer Care to figure out the problem. And just like so many automated telephone responses you get nowadays, that was practically useless and expensive and got Bea nowhere. One of the suggestions they gave was to unplug the telephone from the socket. After doing so, Bea had to call them using her handphone just to tell them that there was no improvement in the speed (which was around 128kbps at that time)
I then waved my magic wand and got my second son to solve the problem, thinking that since he belongs to the IT generation, he should know a thing or two about kilobytes. Mind you, I belong to the BSJ (batu sejam) generation. I'm still struggling to adapt to kmph and now they are forcing me to understand kbps. It's too much I tell you.
My children don't go out that often so the computer is somewhat their 'gateway' to the outside world. And since my second son is the one who makes full use of the internet to socialise with his equally IT-literate friends, he tackled the job rather enthusiastically, I must say. Sadly, enthusiasm alone does not get you around much when it comes to slow internet speed. He failed miserably to have the problem sorted out over the phone.
I was beginning to run out magic. But wait! I still had one last trick up my sleeve - my eldest son. So I conveniently pulled him out of a black top hat, pretty much the way magicians pull out rabbits out of theirs, and sent him to do battle with those evil trolls at TMnet.
And my, did they have some ugly looking trolls.
On Saturday morning, my eldest and I went to the nearest TMnet shop (or TMPoint, as my son pointed out) to complain in person. Stepping into the spanking clean building, we were greeted by the cheerful receptionist who cheerfully asked "Nak bayar bil ke pakcik?" to which I quipped back "Bil saya tak pernah tertunggak. Sentiasa berbayar. Saya datang ni nak complain pasal perkhidmatan". She then dully handed me a number.
To be fair to them, I was attended to promptly. The unfortunate thing was that I was attended to by an ugly male troll who's smile resembled something like this.
Yes, I am being mean but I'm just refering to his smile and it really looked like that.
Anyway, I said politely that I wanted to put in a complaint concerning the slow speed of our internet which has persisted for the past few months. Before I could even elaborate, he quickly replied "Saya tak boleh buat apa-apa" and asked whether I had contacted Customer Care. My son answered back saying that we had already tried that numerous times to no avail and that a technician should be employed instead to solve the problem. Again, the troll gave another number. I was starting to get annoyed and told him that his numbers did not help at all.
It was at this point that two lady co-workers sensed imminent danger and come to the troll's rescue. One of them asked how slow our connection was while the other suggested a complaint form be given for us to filled in. The troll got up and disappeared into the back.
While waiting, I couldn't help but to blurt out rather loudly "Yang cekap hanya dalam iklan sahajalah". One of the female co-workers might have overheard my comment and shifted around uneasily in her seat. The troll came back, a form was filled and a promise was made that action would be taken latest on Tuesday.
Despite all that, Tuesday came and still there was no improvement. Since my eldest was back in class, the next best person who could keep pycno blog-happy i.e Bea, called them up and asked about the promised service. The operator then asked Bea for a complaint reference number. How were we supposed to know about a reference number when we had already given our address and telephone number? So, like it or not, another complaint had to be made and this time Bea insisted for a 'nombor rujukan'.
At long last, the next morning a technician was sent while we were in office. Guess what? The matter was attended to in just a few short minutes. When I told my eldest about the incident, his simple reply was that this is what happens when ducks and chickens try to talk to each other.
What I suspect is that those people at Streamyx do not have enough manpower to attend the problems of the customers every single time. So they try to get the users to solve their own woes over the phone, guided by some operator who might as well be digging his nose as he reads out the troubleshooting guide from his computer. And most of the time, they know that customers like me will not understand and thus put the blame on themselves or the computer.
My advice is to personally go there, fill in a complaint form and most importantly remember to take the blessed nombor rujukan aduan. Equally important would be to keep calling them, reminding them about the complaint which has been made and to read out loud the NOMBOR RUJUKAN ADUAN. Maybe it's also worth threatening to terminate your subscription and ask them for other alternative ISPs. (That's Internet Service Provider for those of you who don't know what it means)
And a final note to Mr Troll: Do try to smile. Even limping Mayo knows how to make someone feel warm and fuzzy inside by smiling.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Okay Me Love?
I should be back blogging in a couple of weeks time. For now, l leave you with Sean Kingston with this feel-good song!
Ah I"m just SO HAPPY listening to this song!! ;)
Ah I"m just SO HAPPY listening to this song!! ;)
Thursday, September 20, 2007
6 Adab Puasa.
PERTAMA
Elakkan diri daripada segala perbuatan perosak pahala puasa, menjauhkan diri daripada mengumpat, mencela dan memfitnah. Diriwayatkan oleh Al-Thabrani dari Rasulullah SAW bersabda: "Puasa itu Junnah (perisai) selama ia tidak dirosakkan dengan dusta dan umpat."
KEDUA
Kurangkan makan dan minum sewaktu berbuka dan bersahur. Orang yang berpuasa tidak akan dapat faedah berpuasa apabila gelojoh sewaktu berbuka dan sewaktu bersahur. Kesannya: kegagalan fungsi puasa sebagai pemotong hawa nafsu atau mematahkan syahwat yang berlebihan.
KETIGA
Kurangkan tidur terutama di siang hari. Kebanyakan antara kita mencari-cari jalan untuk tidur agar tidak keletihan berpuasa. Ini boleh menghilangkan rahsia dan hikmah puasa yang sebenarnya. Sepatutnya, keletihan dan kesusahan yang harus kita harungi dan kita hayati.
KEEMPAT
Menahan hati daripada memikirkan keinginan-keinginan yang remeh dan urusan-urusan yang tidak baik. Kita juga kerap memikirkan persediaan-persediaan menyambut hari raya yang kadangkala lebih banyak diselaputi kemewahan. Sepatutnya puasa mendorong kita menghindari sikap itu.
KELIMA
Sentiasa memikirkan azab akhirat dan memikirkan seksa neraka. Hendaklah kelaparan dan kehausan itu mengingatkan kita tentang kelaparan ahlul mahsyar pada hari akhirat yang sangat dahsyat.
KEENAM
Mencambahkan rasa berharap kepada keampunan dan kasih sayang Allah Taala. Kita tidak mengetahui, apakah puasa kita diterima oleh Allah atau tidak. Puasa tanpa adab samalah ertinya kita makan tanpa zat dan khasiat.
Pycno telah memetik 6 Adab Puasa dari Risalah Ramadhan yang Pycno terbaca dua hari yang lalu. Ingin pula rasanya untuk berkongsi dengan sahabat-sahabat di sini. Apakata kita muhasabah diri dan menilai sejauh mana kita patuh dengan 6 adab tersebut.
Bagi diri Pycno sendiri, yang PERTAMA - mungkin yang paling sukar. Saya bukan lah seorang yang suka berdusta atau mengumpat, terutama sekali di bulan Ramadhan. Tetapi apabila ada orang yang datang bersembang dan membuka cerita di hadapan saya dan mula masuk ke daerah terlarang diatas, saya terpaksa mengakui bahawa saya agak keberatan untuk memberitahu dia supaya menghentikan nya. Penyudahnya, saya turut sama mendengar, walaupun dalam hati ada rasa bersalah dan merasa bahawa kurus lah puasa saya pada hari tersebut.
KEDUA - Pada masa berbuka atau bersahur, saya rasa saya sendiri tidak pernah gelojoh. Makan pun tidak lah memilih. Apa yang ada tu, cukup lah. Namun, apabila berpuasa di kampung, saya terpaksa mengaku agak terlebih makan. Mungkin ini disebabkan pilihan juadah yang banyak, murah serta bersesuaian pula dengan selera. Ini ditambahkan lagi dengan suasana riang bila dapat bersama keluarga.
KETIGA - Saya memang kurang tidur, apa lagi pada bulan puasa. Pernah saya beritahu dulu bahawa saya lah orang nya yang jadi tukang kejut semua ahli keluarga pada bulan puasa ini. Kalau tidur di siang hari pada bulan puasa pun, biasa nya dengan satu niat sahaja - untuk lebih sihat dan cergas waktu sembahyang Tarawih pada malam nya. Itu pun, kira tak boleh juga ke?
KEEMPAT - Memikirkan persediaan menyambut hari raya tu, tak ada lah sangat. Mungkin ini disebabkan saya memang sudah lama membeli baju-baju Raya untuk anak, isteri dan juga diri sendiri. Kuih-kuih memang tidak pernah buat sendiri pun. Beli yang sudah siap dan tidak lah menghabiskan masa.
KELIMA - Ini mungkin kurang di buat. Bukan kerana tidak mahu memikir. Rasa nya lebih kerana tidak terfikir untuk memikir tentang itu....mungkin kerana sibuk. InsyaAllah sekarang dah tahu, akan saya mencari masa untuk berfikir.
KEENAM - Ini memanglah saya mengharap sangat. Satu-satu nya sebab mengapa Pycno gembira dan seronok sekali tiap kali menyambut Ramadhan, ialah kerana rasa lebih hampir, lebih ikhlas serta lebih insaf setiap kali memohon rahmat serta keampunan dari Allah taala.
Anda bagaimana? Sudi berkongsi?
Elakkan diri daripada segala perbuatan perosak pahala puasa, menjauhkan diri daripada mengumpat, mencela dan memfitnah. Diriwayatkan oleh Al-Thabrani dari Rasulullah SAW bersabda: "Puasa itu Junnah (perisai) selama ia tidak dirosakkan dengan dusta dan umpat."
KEDUA
Kurangkan makan dan minum sewaktu berbuka dan bersahur. Orang yang berpuasa tidak akan dapat faedah berpuasa apabila gelojoh sewaktu berbuka dan sewaktu bersahur. Kesannya: kegagalan fungsi puasa sebagai pemotong hawa nafsu atau mematahkan syahwat yang berlebihan.
KETIGA
Kurangkan tidur terutama di siang hari. Kebanyakan antara kita mencari-cari jalan untuk tidur agar tidak keletihan berpuasa. Ini boleh menghilangkan rahsia dan hikmah puasa yang sebenarnya. Sepatutnya, keletihan dan kesusahan yang harus kita harungi dan kita hayati.
KEEMPAT
Menahan hati daripada memikirkan keinginan-keinginan yang remeh dan urusan-urusan yang tidak baik. Kita juga kerap memikirkan persediaan-persediaan menyambut hari raya yang kadangkala lebih banyak diselaputi kemewahan. Sepatutnya puasa mendorong kita menghindari sikap itu.
KELIMA
Sentiasa memikirkan azab akhirat dan memikirkan seksa neraka. Hendaklah kelaparan dan kehausan itu mengingatkan kita tentang kelaparan ahlul mahsyar pada hari akhirat yang sangat dahsyat.
KEENAM
Mencambahkan rasa berharap kepada keampunan dan kasih sayang Allah Taala. Kita tidak mengetahui, apakah puasa kita diterima oleh Allah atau tidak. Puasa tanpa adab samalah ertinya kita makan tanpa zat dan khasiat.
Pycno telah memetik 6 Adab Puasa dari Risalah Ramadhan yang Pycno terbaca dua hari yang lalu. Ingin pula rasanya untuk berkongsi dengan sahabat-sahabat di sini. Apakata kita muhasabah diri dan menilai sejauh mana kita patuh dengan 6 adab tersebut.
Bagi diri Pycno sendiri, yang PERTAMA - mungkin yang paling sukar. Saya bukan lah seorang yang suka berdusta atau mengumpat, terutama sekali di bulan Ramadhan. Tetapi apabila ada orang yang datang bersembang dan membuka cerita di hadapan saya dan mula masuk ke daerah terlarang diatas, saya terpaksa mengakui bahawa saya agak keberatan untuk memberitahu dia supaya menghentikan nya. Penyudahnya, saya turut sama mendengar, walaupun dalam hati ada rasa bersalah dan merasa bahawa kurus lah puasa saya pada hari tersebut.
KEDUA - Pada masa berbuka atau bersahur, saya rasa saya sendiri tidak pernah gelojoh. Makan pun tidak lah memilih. Apa yang ada tu, cukup lah. Namun, apabila berpuasa di kampung, saya terpaksa mengaku agak terlebih makan. Mungkin ini disebabkan pilihan juadah yang banyak, murah serta bersesuaian pula dengan selera. Ini ditambahkan lagi dengan suasana riang bila dapat bersama keluarga.
KETIGA - Saya memang kurang tidur, apa lagi pada bulan puasa. Pernah saya beritahu dulu bahawa saya lah orang nya yang jadi tukang kejut semua ahli keluarga pada bulan puasa ini. Kalau tidur di siang hari pada bulan puasa pun, biasa nya dengan satu niat sahaja - untuk lebih sihat dan cergas waktu sembahyang Tarawih pada malam nya. Itu pun, kira tak boleh juga ke?
KEEMPAT - Memikirkan persediaan menyambut hari raya tu, tak ada lah sangat. Mungkin ini disebabkan saya memang sudah lama membeli baju-baju Raya untuk anak, isteri dan juga diri sendiri. Kuih-kuih memang tidak pernah buat sendiri pun. Beli yang sudah siap dan tidak lah menghabiskan masa.
KELIMA - Ini mungkin kurang di buat. Bukan kerana tidak mahu memikir. Rasa nya lebih kerana tidak terfikir untuk memikir tentang itu....mungkin kerana sibuk. InsyaAllah sekarang dah tahu, akan saya mencari masa untuk berfikir.
KEENAM - Ini memanglah saya mengharap sangat. Satu-satu nya sebab mengapa Pycno gembira dan seronok sekali tiap kali menyambut Ramadhan, ialah kerana rasa lebih hampir, lebih ikhlas serta lebih insaf setiap kali memohon rahmat serta keampunan dari Allah taala.
Anda bagaimana? Sudi berkongsi?
Sunday, September 16, 2007
5 perkara
Kalaulah kita semua boleh mengingati dan mengamalkan 5 perkara sebelum datangnya 5 perkara ini, InsyaAllah selamat kita semua dunia dan akhirat.
Selamat menyempurnakan ibadat puasa di bulan Ramadhan, dan semoga ini adalah Ramadhan TERBAIK untuk kita semua.
Selamat menyempurnakan ibadat puasa di bulan Ramadhan, dan semoga ini adalah Ramadhan TERBAIK untuk kita semua.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Happy Birthday Bea...
And on this special day, I'm dedicating this oldie to you....but the message is forever true. Dont you worry, age is just a number. Of course, we can always ask Sarah (Mynn and Mama Sarah's daughter). After all, she is now in Shah Alam. From now onwards, I suspect that little Sarah will be our 'feel-good channel' especially on birthdays. So, Sarah, berapa umur Auntie Bea hari ni ye???? ;)
Baby, I'm yours (baby, I'm yours)
And I'll be yours (yours) until the stars fall from the sky,
Yours (yours) until the rivers all run dry
In other words, until I die
Baby, I'm yours (baby, I'm yours)
And I'll be yours (yours) until the sun no longer shines,
Yours (yours) until the poets run out of rhyme
In other words, until the end of time
I'm gonna stay right here by your side,
Do my best to keep you satisfied
Nothin' in the world can drive me away
'Cause every day, you'll hear me say
Baby, I'm yours (baby, I'm yours)
And I'll be yours (yours) until two and two is three,
Yours (yours) until the mountains crumble to the sea
In other words, until eternity
Baby, I'm yours
'Til the stars fall from the sky
Baby, I'm yours
'Til the rivers all run dry
Baby, I'm yours
'Til the poets run out of rhyme
Monday, August 27, 2007
One Flu Over The Cuckoo's Nest
This entry is basically t o explain what I’ve been going through since my last real update. 
So I went to see the doctor again. This time, he gave a week’s worth of antibiotics and a whole lot of other medications. Still, there is a persistent feeling of uneasiness somewhere in the chest. Any doctors here want to take a guess what it is? Oh, and Bea is unwell too. She might have caught it from me.
However, being down doesn’t equate to being out and even though I’m feeling unwell, I’ve been going back to Kelantan; not only to see Wan my mother, but also to oversee the renovation works. Yes, it’s almost Ramadhan but the house is not yet 100% complete.
This is the door to the balcony of the upper floor.
Bear in mind that these are only the presentable parts of the house. Not every nook and cranny is as pretty as they are. Well, at least not yet.
You know how it is when it’s the fruit season in the kampong. You go into the orchards, enjoy a few durians, and then bring back a lot more back home to really dig in. Only in my case, it wasn’t just durians, but also mangosteens and rambutans and buah dokong. I thought that eating a lot of fruits would be good for the flu. But could it be the culprit that’s causing my persistent coughing and itchy throat?
I’ve been planning to visit ikelah and DITH at the house, knowing that their two daughters are back. But week after week, I just didn’t feel up to it; up until last weekend where the two daughters have gone back to
This is Mohd Syariza bin Ahmad, the graduate. Congratulations, your dad would have been so proud of you.
Who's the graduate here now? Amboi Kak Zah, sampai terseret ke lantai jubah tu!
The girl on the right is Syariza's half sister, Ayu.
To ikelah and DITH, the house must be very quiet now with only Maman at home. Don’t worry, ours is the same with only little Elvis constantly belting out new and unheard-of-before songs. I know that Mynn and Puan Mama Sarah are back in
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
So Sorry...
SORRY...for the long silence.
and, SORRY...for not leaving comments to your entry/ies. I've been so busy and uninspired. So for now, can I just share with you this article written by Datin Ampikaipakan on.... "Saying Sorry" accompanied by this beautiful song from Akon. Enjoy...
Saying sorry
Learn all about the art of making an apology.
WINNING WAYS by DATIN T.D. AMPIKAIPAKAN
HOW difficult is it to say, “I’m sorry”? Many years ago we heard this famous phrase “love means never having to say that you are sorry” and we thought “wow, what a profound idea.” Think about this now and see how it affects the lives of everyone who is in love.
Imagine this scenario: You are in love and your boyfriend takes you for granted. He makes you wait, is perpetually late for appointments, has no regard for your needs and has no remorse for the trouble he causes you. To add insult to injury, all he says is “love means never having to say I’m sorry!”
Although this takes place between two people, you feel the indignation while reading this. If we were to follow suit, can you imagine the heartaches all around because we would then have the licence to hurt our loved ones and use the excuse of “love” not to show regret for our actions.
Why do we say, “I’m sorry”? Why should we apologise? When do we apologise? As part of good manners you say “sorry” when you have made a mistake or hurt someone unintentionally or intentionally and you begin to regret that. It is all about respect.
When you feel that your actions or words have caused someone pain, mental or physical, you regret the “lack of respect” that you have shown. Hence you feel the need to apologise. When you apologise you make amends, you are telling the person you have hurt that you regret your actions, and you do not want him/her to think badly of you because of your transgressions. That is the premise we work with when we apologise.
We often say “sorry” without thinking. We accidentally step on someone’s toes and we say, “oops, sorry”, and all is forgiven. We forget to do an errand and we apologise. We may even make some serious mistakes that cause other people to lose money, we become mortified and often struggle to find the right way to say “I’m sorry”.
When you make a mistake, say something out of turn or have hurt someone’s feelings, you need to examine the extent of your transgression.
· How serious was it? Did you embarrass someone or are you more embarrassed by your action?
· Who got hurt by your actions? If your transgression is detrimental to your reputation or your integrity, then rectify the situation quickly so that people forgive you.
· There are times when the mistakes you make are so phenomenal that a simple “I’m so sorry” sounds inadequate. What happens if you kill someone by causing an accident? How do you apologise to a parent whose child you ran over? How do you apologise to a child who lost a parent because of your carelessness? In times like these, apologies are so difficult to make and when even one is offered, acceptance and forgiveness is hard to come by.
When you plan to apologise, you have to decide whether it is verbal and/or written. If it is a verbal apology, you need to consider the following:
· The words you need to use
· Your body language/facial expressions
· The tone of voice
If it is a written apology, you need to consider:
· The words you use
· The tone of the letter
· Whether it gets the right message through
If you want to apologise for a mistake, do it properly so that your apology is given and accepted with equal grace.
A sincere apology is done with insight. You should always run what you want to say through your head or share it with a friend so that the apology sounds sincere and thoughtful. When you apologise, look at your body language and facial expressions.
You have to look sorry! You have to feel bad about the whole incident and your face must show regret when you say the words. A bad apology is just like the one made by our two esteemed MPs for the faux pas that happened a month ago.
Take another look at the facial expressions in their photo. They had a smirk on their faces and looked so unapologetic that it was obvious they were forced to say sorry when they did not mean it. The bottom line – apologise when you really mean what you say!
The following is an example of a thoughtful written apology that was made when a serious injustice was done to a person and how a heartfelt apology made a difference to the relationship and put it back on an even keel. This is part of a long letter of apology:
“I’m writing this letter to say I’m sorry. This letter has been written a thousand times in my head, drafting and redrafting to try and put in words what I feel – sorrow, sadness, regret for my part in the injustice done to you over the years ?
“Just because I have written this letter, you don’t have to feel you have to ‘forgive and forget’. If you feel the time is not right or you still have some residual anger or feel unease or disquiet, it is your right and I respect that. All I want to do is atone and acknowledge a misjudgement. It has been a salutary lesson for me and I hope it will be a cautionary tale to our children that they should always try to do the right thing and be fair and just to all and not to take relationships for granted and abuse it.
“So as I begin, let me end by saying SORRY. When all’s said and done, what is SORRY worth? Sometimes it’s little – a token, a crumb, a throwaway line like ‘sorry I’m late‘. Sometimes it’s huge and terrible like: The White House is sorry for the collateral damage to civilians in Iraq in our ‘justified‘ war. I hope my sorry is somewhere in between – terrible but retrievable – like an honest broker trying to forge a connection between our estranged relationships.”
Say what you mean and mean what you say, even if you are trying to say, ”my humble apologies!”
P/S : Pycno just would like to know.....Do you find it difficult to say that you are sorry?
and, SORRY...for not leaving comments to your entry/ies. I've been so busy and uninspired. So for now, can I just share with you this article written by Datin Ampikaipakan on.... "Saying Sorry" accompanied by this beautiful song from Akon. Enjoy...
Saying sorry
Learn all about the art of making an apology.
WINNING WAYS by DATIN T.D. AMPIKAIPAKAN
HOW difficult is it to say, “I’m sorry”? Many years ago we heard this famous phrase “love means never having to say that you are sorry” and we thought “wow, what a profound idea.” Think about this now and see how it affects the lives of everyone who is in love.
Imagine this scenario: You are in love and your boyfriend takes you for granted. He makes you wait, is perpetually late for appointments, has no regard for your needs and has no remorse for the trouble he causes you. To add insult to injury, all he says is “love means never having to say I’m sorry!”
Although this takes place between two people, you feel the indignation while reading this. If we were to follow suit, can you imagine the heartaches all around because we would then have the licence to hurt our loved ones and use the excuse of “love” not to show regret for our actions.
Why do we say, “I’m sorry”? Why should we apologise? When do we apologise? As part of good manners you say “sorry” when you have made a mistake or hurt someone unintentionally or intentionally and you begin to regret that. It is all about respect.
When you feel that your actions or words have caused someone pain, mental or physical, you regret the “lack of respect” that you have shown. Hence you feel the need to apologise. When you apologise you make amends, you are telling the person you have hurt that you regret your actions, and you do not want him/her to think badly of you because of your transgressions. That is the premise we work with when we apologise.
We often say “sorry” without thinking. We accidentally step on someone’s toes and we say, “oops, sorry”, and all is forgiven. We forget to do an errand and we apologise. We may even make some serious mistakes that cause other people to lose money, we become mortified and often struggle to find the right way to say “I’m sorry”.
When you make a mistake, say something out of turn or have hurt someone’s feelings, you need to examine the extent of your transgression.
· How serious was it? Did you embarrass someone or are you more embarrassed by your action?
· Who got hurt by your actions? If your transgression is detrimental to your reputation or your integrity, then rectify the situation quickly so that people forgive you.
· There are times when the mistakes you make are so phenomenal that a simple “I’m so sorry” sounds inadequate. What happens if you kill someone by causing an accident? How do you apologise to a parent whose child you ran over? How do you apologise to a child who lost a parent because of your carelessness? In times like these, apologies are so difficult to make and when even one is offered, acceptance and forgiveness is hard to come by.
When you plan to apologise, you have to decide whether it is verbal and/or written. If it is a verbal apology, you need to consider the following:
· The words you need to use
· Your body language/facial expressions
· The tone of voice
If it is a written apology, you need to consider:
· The words you use
· The tone of the letter
· Whether it gets the right message through
If you want to apologise for a mistake, do it properly so that your apology is given and accepted with equal grace.
A sincere apology is done with insight. You should always run what you want to say through your head or share it with a friend so that the apology sounds sincere and thoughtful. When you apologise, look at your body language and facial expressions.
You have to look sorry! You have to feel bad about the whole incident and your face must show regret when you say the words. A bad apology is just like the one made by our two esteemed MPs for the faux pas that happened a month ago.
Take another look at the facial expressions in their photo. They had a smirk on their faces and looked so unapologetic that it was obvious they were forced to say sorry when they did not mean it. The bottom line – apologise when you really mean what you say!
The following is an example of a thoughtful written apology that was made when a serious injustice was done to a person and how a heartfelt apology made a difference to the relationship and put it back on an even keel. This is part of a long letter of apology:
“I’m writing this letter to say I’m sorry. This letter has been written a thousand times in my head, drafting and redrafting to try and put in words what I feel – sorrow, sadness, regret for my part in the injustice done to you over the years ?
“Just because I have written this letter, you don’t have to feel you have to ‘forgive and forget’. If you feel the time is not right or you still have some residual anger or feel unease or disquiet, it is your right and I respect that. All I want to do is atone and acknowledge a misjudgement. It has been a salutary lesson for me and I hope it will be a cautionary tale to our children that they should always try to do the right thing and be fair and just to all and not to take relationships for granted and abuse it.
“So as I begin, let me end by saying SORRY. When all’s said and done, what is SORRY worth? Sometimes it’s little – a token, a crumb, a throwaway line like ‘sorry I’m late‘. Sometimes it’s huge and terrible like: The White House is sorry for the collateral damage to civilians in Iraq in our ‘justified‘ war. I hope my sorry is somewhere in between – terrible but retrievable – like an honest broker trying to forge a connection between our estranged relationships.”
Say what you mean and mean what you say, even if you are trying to say, ”my humble apologies!”
P/S : Pycno just would like to know.....Do you find it difficult to say that you are sorry?
Sunday, July 22, 2007
A Belated Birthday Entry
It has to be one of the quietest birthdays that I have ever celebrated. All the kids came back home. My eldest and Number 2 who are both in University, my Number 3 (only daughter) and Number 4 who are both in boarding school also happened to have their 'monthly holiday allowance', and of course my youngest; the only one left at home.
Everyone was very cooperative yesterday - waking up early and taking their shower. And instead of the usual arguments trying to decide where to go, everybody just said "Why don't you decide where we should go today, Birthday Boy?"
I've been to The Curve a couple of times before, but because of the distance (and traffic, possibly too), none of my children have had the chance to go there along with me. Therefore, I decided to take them yesterday. Thankfully, traffic wasn't as bad as I had expected. I parked the family vehicle at Cineleisure, which was a block away from The Curve. But it didn't matter much.
My youngest was tugging me, insisting that we should all go watch the new Harry Potter movie (by the way, I must tell you that I happened to be #61 in the queue of people at Carrefour Wangsa Maju yesterday, lining up to buy the final installment of The Boy Who Lived. I was there at 6.45 am, together with Bea and Number 2, who is simply potty over Potter. Since we were one of the earlier ones to arrive, we were served with breakfast. Also, I got to buy the bookS - note the 'S' - at RM 69.90 each. Potty Number 2 insisted we buy both editions for 'collectible reasons'. I decided to comply with his wishes as I am still beaming with pride over his exceptional MUET results - he was one of the hundred plus in the country who obtained Band 6)
Anyway, back to the movie. Since there was already quite a sizeable amount of people waiting to buy tickets to the movie, we decided to go watch it another time. Afterall, Number 1 was inquiring (in his usual tiresome manner) why should we waste two hours and a half to sit in a darkened room when we could stroll around and buy things. And stroll we did around The Curve.
Eventually, we ended up at Ikea (situated across the road from The Curve). My eldest has always expressed his desire to throw out all pieces of furniture in the house and replace them with new ones bought from Ikea. Naturally, he was admiring the simple and elegant designs of chairs and tables and wardrobes and pointed at how they'd all fit in nicely in our home. However, you know me to be an old faithful and I just can't bring myself to throw out (or even give to others) those dog-eared books, limping long serving tables or even those cracked cutlery - which I think looks like patterns, what with the 'retak seribu' design. However, the youngest child didn't find the activity fun at all and began to pull a long face. In fact, after a few metres, he just sat down and would not budge at all. Never mind that people were staring and Bea was scolding him. I took that as a sign to go for lunch.
I wanted to bring them to Ikea's own dine-in spot as I've heard so much about their famous Swedish meatballs. However to my dismay, there were too many people queuing. And to find joined tables which could sit all seven of us was practically impossible. But thank goodness for the existence of small eateries scattered at the ground floor of Ikea. So to please everybody, I announced that it was a 'free-for-all' affair. That ended up with Bea, my eldest and Number 3 having mee rojak, Number 4 having a sandwich, my youngest tucking into white rice and chicken curry, and yours truly having a modest serving of kuih onde-onde and Nyonya Yam Cake. However, my will of steel soon waned, and I ended up buying 'Paus' (no, not that big mammal that lives in the sea) at Baoz.
After having refueled, we went back to the Curve via an underground tunnel joining the two buildings. Number 1 cunningly took the opportunity of buying himself a pair of non-pleated pants which in my opinion, makes him look similar to a walking ironing board due to his tall and slender frame. There also happened to be an education fair, and Bea decided to buy some workbooks for attention-deficit Elvis.
Around three plus, we drove back and along the way it rained heavily. So you can imagine our dismay when we arrived home to the sight of soaking wet laundry that was, ironically enough, left out to dry earlier on in the morning. After having said our prayers, everyone settled down for a short afternoon nap.
Later on after Maghrib, I took the family out again for some makan-makan. Again, everyone was thoughtful enough to leave the decision making to me. How I wish they are as polite and obedient on other days, and not only on my birthday! But considerate Pycno, knowing fully well that his adoloscent children like snappy meals, took them for pizza. And what kind of birthday would it be without a birthday cake? Thus, the children took me to Secret Recipe so that I could choose my (rather late) birthday cake. Funnily enough, everybody was too full to eat anymore, and the cake went into the fridge and only came out again this morning for breakfast. There's still some left. Anybody?
And here are cards from Number 3 and Number 5 respectively. I was especially touched by little Elvis' card. He was tugging the mother at The Curve to buy the card and standing in a corner after that to personally write down his birthday message. Not only that, he was also very expressive - giving me bear hugs and saying how much he loved me. How thoughtful of him!
This came from Number 3 - she made it herself from some manila card and newspaper.
This is from Elvis. Can you read what it says?
Everyone was very cooperative yesterday - waking up early and taking their shower. And instead of the usual arguments trying to decide where to go, everybody just said "Why don't you decide where we should go today, Birthday Boy?"
I've been to The Curve a couple of times before, but because of the distance (and traffic, possibly too), none of my children have had the chance to go there along with me. Therefore, I decided to take them yesterday. Thankfully, traffic wasn't as bad as I had expected. I parked the family vehicle at Cineleisure, which was a block away from The Curve. But it didn't matter much.
My youngest was tugging me, insisting that we should all go watch the new Harry Potter movie (by the way, I must tell you that I happened to be #61 in the queue of people at Carrefour Wangsa Maju yesterday, lining up to buy the final installment of The Boy Who Lived. I was there at 6.45 am, together with Bea and Number 2, who is simply potty over Potter. Since we were one of the earlier ones to arrive, we were served with breakfast. Also, I got to buy the bookS - note the 'S' - at RM 69.90 each. Potty Number 2 insisted we buy both editions for 'collectible reasons'. I decided to comply with his wishes as I am still beaming with pride over his exceptional MUET results - he was one of the hundred plus in the country who obtained Band 6)
Anyway, back to the movie. Since there was already quite a sizeable amount of people waiting to buy tickets to the movie, we decided to go watch it another time. Afterall, Number 1 was inquiring (in his usual tiresome manner) why should we waste two hours and a half to sit in a darkened room when we could stroll around and buy things. And stroll we did around The Curve.
Eventually, we ended up at Ikea (situated across the road from The Curve). My eldest has always expressed his desire to throw out all pieces of furniture in the house and replace them with new ones bought from Ikea. Naturally, he was admiring the simple and elegant designs of chairs and tables and wardrobes and pointed at how they'd all fit in nicely in our home. However, you know me to be an old faithful and I just can't bring myself to throw out (or even give to others) those dog-eared books, limping long serving tables or even those cracked cutlery - which I think looks like patterns, what with the 'retak seribu' design. However, the youngest child didn't find the activity fun at all and began to pull a long face. In fact, after a few metres, he just sat down and would not budge at all. Never mind that people were staring and Bea was scolding him. I took that as a sign to go for lunch.
I wanted to bring them to Ikea's own dine-in spot as I've heard so much about their famous Swedish meatballs. However to my dismay, there were too many people queuing. And to find joined tables which could sit all seven of us was practically impossible. But thank goodness for the existence of small eateries scattered at the ground floor of Ikea. So to please everybody, I announced that it was a 'free-for-all' affair. That ended up with Bea, my eldest and Number 3 having mee rojak, Number 4 having a sandwich, my youngest tucking into white rice and chicken curry, and yours truly having a modest serving of kuih onde-onde and Nyonya Yam Cake. However, my will of steel soon waned, and I ended up buying 'Paus' (no, not that big mammal that lives in the sea) at Baoz.
After having refueled, we went back to the Curve via an underground tunnel joining the two buildings. Number 1 cunningly took the opportunity of buying himself a pair of non-pleated pants which in my opinion, makes him look similar to a walking ironing board due to his tall and slender frame. There also happened to be an education fair, and Bea decided to buy some workbooks for attention-deficit Elvis.
Around three plus, we drove back and along the way it rained heavily. So you can imagine our dismay when we arrived home to the sight of soaking wet laundry that was, ironically enough, left out to dry earlier on in the morning. After having said our prayers, everyone settled down for a short afternoon nap.
Later on after Maghrib, I took the family out again for some makan-makan. Again, everyone was thoughtful enough to leave the decision making to me. How I wish they are as polite and obedient on other days, and not only on my birthday! But considerate Pycno, knowing fully well that his adoloscent children like snappy meals, took them for pizza. And what kind of birthday would it be without a birthday cake? Thus, the children took me to Secret Recipe so that I could choose my (rather late) birthday cake. Funnily enough, everybody was too full to eat anymore, and the cake went into the fridge and only came out again this morning for breakfast. There's still some left. Anybody?
And here are cards from Number 3 and Number 5 respectively. I was especially touched by little Elvis' card. He was tugging the mother at The Curve to buy the card and standing in a corner after that to personally write down his birthday message. Not only that, he was also very expressive - giving me bear hugs and saying how much he loved me. How thoughtful of him!
This came from Number 3 - she made it herself from some manila card and newspaper.
This is from Elvis. Can you read what it says?Friday, July 13, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
Aduh sedih nya.....
The first time I heard this song was at a supermarket - I was instantly mesmerised by the slow and sad tune. From that moment, the haunting music kept playing in my ears, all the while I was trying to find out who the singer was.
As you can see, I've finally managed to track down the song, titled Izinkan Ku Pergi. It's sung by a fellow named Kaer. Does anyone know who he is?. In the meantime, I think I'll let myself be carried away in the sad, sad melody...
(Please don't think that I am all about songs and melodies. It's just that at the moment, I am rather 'uninspired' to write about anything worth mentioning. However, not wanting to be left behind, I feel that it's just appropriate to fill up the empty space with something, wouldn't you agree?)
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Selamat Hari Ibu!!
Some of the heaven sent mothers that I have known and who have touched my lifeOh, sweet mother of mine, I love you more than you will ever know. You are loved more than words can say. I may not have that many opportunities to see or call you, but I never stop loving you. You made me who I am today... good and wonderful all because of you.
Mothers are the flowers of our lives, the thorns that prick us when we're off track, the leaves that catch us when we fall. Every day I see what a wonderful job you do raising all your children and I could never thank you enough for all that you have done. Thank you for your LOVE, SUPPORT, and GOOD HOME COOKING. And not forgetting, for potty training me.
To the sweetest Mom of them all. To the greatest Mom anyone ever had! You’re the absolute BEST Mom we could have and an inspiration to us all…thank you for your love, your joy, your guidance, your wisdom, and your smile.
We hope your every day is wonderful, especially today. May ALLAH bless you ALWAYS.
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Shaken To The Bones
Pycno is finally back, alhamdulillah, after a long journey that has taken me to my favourite haunt up north, then to Kelantan. And now I'm back in KL. Arrived around 3 o' clock in the afternoon.
To be honest, Pycno extended invitations to the rest of the family, but nobody wanted to tag along. So you see, I'm always revealing myself! Pycno may appear to be lovable in cyberspace, but not to his loved ones in real life; so much so that they don't want to follow him even on holiday. So DITH, there's no need for the raised eyebrows. My solo holidays are actually a win-win situation for them and also for me.
I'm the kind of person who when around, I just can't pretend not seeing, or not knowing things which are happening around me. Case taken into example - waking up the household every morning. But even when I'm not around, I will still hold onto my 'reign of terror' (as described by my children). You can ask Bea, even when I was away in Penang, how many times did I SMS her in the mornings, just to check up on her whether she has woken up the children and performed their Subuh prayers or not.
Ayyo. Pycno really needs to learn to let go. I remember one of the entries written by DITH - the one about having an almost empty nest now. Why is it that I am not feeling as sad as her? Maybe when my nest is empty, only then do I no longer need those solo excursions to retain my sanity.
One thing I want to share with you about my trip to Penang this time around, is about the public transport on the island. If you ask me, Penang is only second to Kuala Lumpur. But why is it that I get the feeling that public transport there is comparable to India? Not that I've been to India, but perhaps Ayumi can enlighten us on this.
Now you just have a look at this:
Do you notice how the door is tied to the pole using a piece of rope?
I used to think that it was just my luck to get all the bone shaking buses. But as my recent trip proved, all of the buses serving Penang Island are very much capable of rattling your bones (Unfortunately, Pycno's bones aren't that young anymore. Does that mean I have to start taking Anelene Gold too?)
Now, Penang is a favourite with tourists; and just like Pycno, foreign visitors would also like to really get the feel of being a Malaysian, and not just show photos to their friends back in the UK. I wonder then, how do they feel when they board a bus to reach their destination - and I'm not only talking the feeling in their hearts, but also in their bones. Can you imagine the picture where those bone shakers go for the emergency brake? Not a pretty sight I can assure you.
Now you may be asking "If you have all those complaints, why not just take a taxi?". The reason is because I like using public transport. Even here in KL, I will always use the buses and the LRTs. So, every time I read about complaints by angry commuters in the newspapers, I can empathise with them. How I wish our big menteris try to board a packed LRT early in the mornings, or better still, try to stand directly under the sweaty armpits of a fat salesperson in a packed bus that hasn't been moving since the past 30 minutes, all the while being treated to the aroma of some cheap imitation perfume mixed with the piercing bodily odours from the rest of the passengers. Then you can tell us whether we are still 'almost there' as a developed nation.
I noticed this eatery at the Sungai Nibong bus terminal:
I guess that that the chef must absolutely love adding garlic and lots of ginger to his dishes. So much so that he's even inviting the customers to F**T disini as a show of appreciation.
Note: That was just a personal joke. Perhaps in Arabic, the name has a beautiful meaning. But to a person like me, I couldn't help but find it amusing, to say the least. Of course, I did not take my meal there, for I did not wish to show my appreciation through that way. Not in a cafeteria at least. Sorry for the blurred image. My son told me that I had forgotten to turn on the flash.
From Penang, I took another bus to Kota Bharu. Due to the long weekend, all the seats in the usual buses were already taken. So, I had to settle for a 'bas tambahan'. I was assured by the person selling the tickets that I'd be getting a comfortable 'bas persiaran'. However, that was not the case. Just like its cousins in Penang, this bus was also a bone shaker. Frankly speaking , I'm amazed it managed to arrive in one piece. Sure, the air conditioning was cold - something like winter in Coventry I suppose. But that does not really matter. So long as it took me safely to my destination to see my mother.
Just to share with readers here: the bad news is that the house is still not completed since the workers shifted their work to my brother-in-law's house, which is due for a wedding in June. So, kita mengalah dahulu lah. The good news is that the lower floor is done, and ready for occupation. In fact, my mother has moved back from my sister's house into that new room. I promise to post a picture once the whole thing is finished and painted nicely. As of now, there's not much difference between the interior and the exterior, except that the roof is now there, and the walls have been plastered.
I suppose it was because of my tales about the bus from hell that one of my favourite nieces offered her car for me to go back to KL. How nice! Can you believe it, I left my mother's house at 4 in the morning, and had my breakfast of nasi dagang at Kuala Terengganu, bought keropok lekor along the way, and even lemang at Kijal.The children absolutely loved the lemang, which I also gave some to my neighbours.
So Ikelah and DITH, I actually drove past Kuantan, Cherating and Gebeng, some time around noon. Of course I remembered all of you, but the idea of stopping all by myself was not a comfortable one. So when I read that comment from DITH about when are we going to go to TC, I quickly told Bea that we have to find time to visit you. But how do we go about doing that without bothering you? So, if you promise only to accept us when you are truly free, then we will come and drop by. If not, the most that we'll do is stroll along barefooted, with big straw hats and big shades, walking leisurely incognito on the beach behind (or is it in front of?) your house.
This is an entry written without much thought as I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I've always told you that I need a holiday after my holiday. Ni pun dah rasa seram sejuk dah. I think I'll go and cover myself now, if you'll excuse me.
To be honest, Pycno extended invitations to the rest of the family, but nobody wanted to tag along. So you see, I'm always revealing myself! Pycno may appear to be lovable in cyberspace, but not to his loved ones in real life; so much so that they don't want to follow him even on holiday. So DITH, there's no need for the raised eyebrows. My solo holidays are actually a win-win situation for them and also for me.
I'm the kind of person who when around, I just can't pretend not seeing, or not knowing things which are happening around me. Case taken into example - waking up the household every morning. But even when I'm not around, I will still hold onto my 'reign of terror' (as described by my children). You can ask Bea, even when I was away in Penang, how many times did I SMS her in the mornings, just to check up on her whether she has woken up the children and performed their Subuh prayers or not.
Ayyo. Pycno really needs to learn to let go. I remember one of the entries written by DITH - the one about having an almost empty nest now. Why is it that I am not feeling as sad as her? Maybe when my nest is empty, only then do I no longer need those solo excursions to retain my sanity.
One thing I want to share with you about my trip to Penang this time around, is about the public transport on the island. If you ask me, Penang is only second to Kuala Lumpur. But why is it that I get the feeling that public transport there is comparable to India? Not that I've been to India, but perhaps Ayumi can enlighten us on this.
Now you just have a look at this:
Do you notice how the door is tied to the pole using a piece of rope?Now, Penang is a favourite with tourists; and just like Pycno, foreign visitors would also like to really get the feel of being a Malaysian, and not just show photos to their friends back in the UK. I wonder then, how do they feel when they board a bus to reach their destination - and I'm not only talking the feeling in their hearts, but also in their bones. Can you imagine the picture where those bone shakers go for the emergency brake? Not a pretty sight I can assure you.
Now you may be asking "If you have all those complaints, why not just take a taxi?". The reason is because I like using public transport. Even here in KL, I will always use the buses and the LRTs. So, every time I read about complaints by angry commuters in the newspapers, I can empathise with them. How I wish our big menteris try to board a packed LRT early in the mornings, or better still, try to stand directly under the sweaty armpits of a fat salesperson in a packed bus that hasn't been moving since the past 30 minutes, all the while being treated to the aroma of some cheap imitation perfume mixed with the piercing bodily odours from the rest of the passengers. Then you can tell us whether we are still 'almost there' as a developed nation.
I noticed this eatery at the Sungai Nibong bus terminal:
I guess that that the chef must absolutely love adding garlic and lots of ginger to his dishes. So much so that he's even inviting the customers to F**T disini as a show of appreciation.
Note: That was just a personal joke. Perhaps in Arabic, the name has a beautiful meaning. But to a person like me, I couldn't help but find it amusing, to say the least. Of course, I did not take my meal there, for I did not wish to show my appreciation through that way. Not in a cafeteria at least. Sorry for the blurred image. My son told me that I had forgotten to turn on the flash.
From Penang, I took another bus to Kota Bharu. Due to the long weekend, all the seats in the usual buses were already taken. So, I had to settle for a 'bas tambahan'. I was assured by the person selling the tickets that I'd be getting a comfortable 'bas persiaran'. However, that was not the case. Just like its cousins in Penang, this bus was also a bone shaker. Frankly speaking , I'm amazed it managed to arrive in one piece. Sure, the air conditioning was cold - something like winter in Coventry I suppose. But that does not really matter. So long as it took me safely to my destination to see my mother.
Just to share with readers here: the bad news is that the house is still not completed since the workers shifted their work to my brother-in-law's house, which is due for a wedding in June. So, kita mengalah dahulu lah. The good news is that the lower floor is done, and ready for occupation. In fact, my mother has moved back from my sister's house into that new room. I promise to post a picture once the whole thing is finished and painted nicely. As of now, there's not much difference between the interior and the exterior, except that the roof is now there, and the walls have been plastered.
I suppose it was because of my tales about the bus from hell that one of my favourite nieces offered her car for me to go back to KL. How nice! Can you believe it, I left my mother's house at 4 in the morning, and had my breakfast of nasi dagang at Kuala Terengganu, bought keropok lekor along the way, and even lemang at Kijal.The children absolutely loved the lemang, which I also gave some to my neighbours.
So Ikelah and DITH, I actually drove past Kuantan, Cherating and Gebeng, some time around noon. Of course I remembered all of you, but the idea of stopping all by myself was not a comfortable one. So when I read that comment from DITH about when are we going to go to TC, I quickly told Bea that we have to find time to visit you. But how do we go about doing that without bothering you? So, if you promise only to accept us when you are truly free, then we will come and drop by. If not, the most that we'll do is stroll along barefooted, with big straw hats and big shades, walking leisurely incognito on the beach behind (or is it in front of?) your house.
This is an entry written without much thought as I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I've always told you that I need a holiday after my holiday. Ni pun dah rasa seram sejuk dah. I think I'll go and cover myself now, if you'll excuse me.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Belum Tentu Berapa Hari dan Berapa Malam
I know many cannot stand this song, not because that it's not a beautiful melody, but simply because a certain 'Malaysian sweetheart' happens to like it so much, just before her wedding day for reasons only known to her. Even Bea cannot stand listening to this tune. But fair and non-partisan Pycno will never allow emotions to rule his decision.
I've always loved this song, and it does not matter who else happens to like it too. Even if it is the worst of my enemies, I'll at least give that person credit for having the same good taste in music. So Bea, much as I can understand the reason why you cannot be listening and admiring this song so much loved by Malaysian's sweetheart, I still feel that you should not allow your emotions to rule your judgement, unless you honestly despise it. The song I mean.
So to keep it safe, I'm not dedicating this song to anybody else other than myself. Thank you :)
P.s. I'm going away for a short holiday to Penang and Kota Bharu, Kelantan. I'll be back at the end of next week. I know Yoshi that you'll be going to Cameron Highlands. Maybe I should drop by to meet you on my way to Penang? *wink*wink*
Tak apalah. Cukuplah kita berjumpa di Langkawi dulu, ye?
I've always loved this song, and it does not matter who else happens to like it too. Even if it is the worst of my enemies, I'll at least give that person credit for having the same good taste in music. So Bea, much as I can understand the reason why you cannot be listening and admiring this song so much loved by Malaysian's sweetheart, I still feel that you should not allow your emotions to rule your judgement, unless you honestly despise it. The song I mean.
So to keep it safe, I'm not dedicating this song to anybody else other than myself. Thank you :)
P.s. I'm going away for a short holiday to Penang and Kota Bharu, Kelantan. I'll be back at the end of next week. I know Yoshi that you'll be going to Cameron Highlands. Maybe I should drop by to meet you on my way to Penang? *wink*wink*
Tak apalah. Cukuplah kita berjumpa di Langkawi dulu, ye?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
A True story about Racism
The following scene took place on a BA flight between
Johannesburg and London.
This is a true story.
A White woman, about 50 years old, was seated next to a Black man.
Obviously disturbed by this, she called the air Hostess.
"Madam, what is the matter," the Hostess asked.
"You obviously do not see it then?" she responded.
"You placed me next to a Black man.
I do not agree to sit next to someone from such a repugnant group.
Give me an alternative seat."
"Be calm please, " the Hostess replied.
"Almost all the places on this flight are taken.
I will go to see if another seat is available."
The Hostess went away and then came back a few minutes later.
"Madam, just as I thought, there are no other available seats
in the Economy class.
I spoke to the Captain and he informed me that there is
also no seats in the Business class.
All the same, we still have one seat in the First class."
Before the woman could say anything, the Hostess continued:
"It is not usual for our company to permit someone from
the Economy class to sit in the First class.
However, given the circumstances,
the Captain feels that it would be scandalous to make
someone sit next to someone so disgusting."
She turned to the Black guy, and said,
"Therefore, Sir,
if you would like to, please collect your hand luggage,
a seat awaits you in First class."
At that moment, the other passengers who were shocked by
what they had just witnessed stood up and applauded.
If you are against Racism, please send this message to all your
friends.
Johannesburg and London.
This is a true story.
A White woman, about 50 years old, was seated next to a Black man.
Obviously disturbed by this, she called the air Hostess.
"Madam, what is the matter," the Hostess asked.
"You obviously do not see it then?" she responded.
"You placed me next to a Black man.
I do not agree to sit next to someone from such a repugnant group.
Give me an alternative seat."
"Be calm please, " the Hostess replied.
"Almost all the places on this flight are taken.
I will go to see if another seat is available."
The Hostess went away and then came back a few minutes later.
"Madam, just as I thought, there are no other available seats
in the Economy class.
I spoke to the Captain and he informed me that there is
also no seats in the Business class.
All the same, we still have one seat in the First class."
Before the woman could say anything, the Hostess continued:
"It is not usual for our company to permit someone from
the Economy class to sit in the First class.
However, given the circumstances,
the Captain feels that it would be scandalous to make
someone sit next to someone so disgusting."
She turned to the Black guy, and said,
"Therefore, Sir,
if you would like to, please collect your hand luggage,
a seat awaits you in First class."
At that moment, the other passengers who were shocked by
what they had just witnessed stood up and applauded.
If you are against Racism, please send this message to all your
friends.
Don't matter......
I'm posting this simple, yet beautiful and meaningful lyrics to assist Mynn and my Elvis to sing along. To the "muda dan semakin remaja" bloggers, you can also do the UB 40's moves to get the feel of the rythmn. And, I'm also dedicating Akon's song to Hiyoshi, who will be celebrating his 21st birthday today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY and MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY to you. Dah daftar mengundi?? And more importantly, dah ada calon untuk di undi??? ;)
"Don't Matter"
Konvict Konvict
Oh
Ohoohwooe
Oooh
Ooohhwooe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Cause we gon' fight
Oh yes we gon' fight
Believe we gon' fight
We gon' fight
Fight for our right to love yeah
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you
Nobody wanna see us together
Nobody thought we'd last forever
I feel I'm hopin' and prayin'
Things between us don't get better
Men steady comin' after you
Women steady comin' after me
Seem like everybody wanna go for self
And don't wanna respect boundaries
Tellin' you all those lies
Just to get on your side
But I must admit there was a couple secrets
I held inside
But just know that I tried
To always apologize
And I'ma have you first always in my heart
To keep you satisfied
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Cause we gon' fight
Oh yes we gon' fight
Believe we gon' fight
We gon' fight
Fight for our right to love yeah
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you
Got every right to wanna leave
Got every right to wanna go
Got every right to hit the road
And never talk to me no more
You don't even have to call
Even check for me at all
Because the way I been actin' lately
Has been off the wall
Especially toward you
Puttin' girls before you
And they watchin' everything I been doin'
Just to hurt you
Most of it just ain't you
Ain't true
And they won't show you
How much of a queen you are to me
And why I love you baby
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Cause we gon' fight
Oh yes we gon' fight
Believe we gon' fight
We gon' fight
Fight for our right to love yeah
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you
Oh oh oh oh oh
Cause I got you
Cause I got you
Ooooh
Cause I got you babe
Cause I got you
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Cause we gon' fight
Oh yes we gon' fight
Believe we gon' fight
We gon' fight
Fight for our right to love yeah
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Cause we gon' fight
Oh yes we gon' fight
Believe we gon' fight
We gon' fight
Fight for our right to love yeah
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you
"Don't Matter"
Konvict Konvict
Oh
Ohoohwooe
Oooh
Ooohhwooe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Cause we gon' fight
Oh yes we gon' fight
Believe we gon' fight
We gon' fight
Fight for our right to love yeah
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you
Nobody wanna see us together
Nobody thought we'd last forever
I feel I'm hopin' and prayin'
Things between us don't get better
Men steady comin' after you
Women steady comin' after me
Seem like everybody wanna go for self
And don't wanna respect boundaries
Tellin' you all those lies
Just to get on your side
But I must admit there was a couple secrets
I held inside
But just know that I tried
To always apologize
And I'ma have you first always in my heart
To keep you satisfied
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Cause we gon' fight
Oh yes we gon' fight
Believe we gon' fight
We gon' fight
Fight for our right to love yeah
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you
Got every right to wanna leave
Got every right to wanna go
Got every right to hit the road
And never talk to me no more
You don't even have to call
Even check for me at all
Because the way I been actin' lately
Has been off the wall
Especially toward you
Puttin' girls before you
And they watchin' everything I been doin'
Just to hurt you
Most of it just ain't you
Ain't true
And they won't show you
How much of a queen you are to me
And why I love you baby
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Cause we gon' fight
Oh yes we gon' fight
Believe we gon' fight
We gon' fight
Fight for our right to love yeah
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you
Oh oh oh oh oh
Cause I got you
Cause I got you
Ooooh
Cause I got you babe
Cause I got you
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Cause we gon' fight
Oh yes we gon' fight
Believe we gon' fight
We gon' fight
Fight for our right to love yeah
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you babe
Cause we gon' fight
Oh yes we gon' fight
Believe we gon' fight
We gon' fight
Fight for our right to love yeah
Nobody wanna see us together
But it don't matter no
Cause I got you
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Terlalu Istimewa
It's that time of year again when I'm very, very busy with work (what else?) - not to say that I'm not around, reading and leaving comments wherever appropriate *wink*
Just to remind everyone that I'm still in business, the above video clip is dedicated to all the special people in my life. In more ways than one, you have touched my life and I will never be the same man again, ever.
Sesungguhnya kalian semua terlalu istimewa dalam hidup pycno....
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Of Needles and Squirrels
When Ikelah tagged me, I was a bit stunned. Honestly, what kind of weird things would a man of my age have left inside of me? But anyway, since he's such a good friend, I don't mind scavenging my 'box of memories' in search of perhaps some of the more crazy things I might have done as a young adult.
Note to family members: IF you happen to come across this, don't think of it as an opportunity to take personal swipes at me. You are not allowed to do so, so long as I'm the first to rise in the household.
One more thing: I do hope that I'm not revealing myself too much by telling you all these things.
1. I am, what you could call, a regular visitor of the gents. This however, has nothing to do with a lack of control over my bladder. Instead, it is an attribute of my water drinking habit. I drink a lot of water - something common with the Chinese - to the extent that I will make several trips to the loo in a day. My children have in the past, nicknamed me "The Pee-man". Now you know the real meaning behind the nickname Pycno - which is pronounced as Pee-no, mind you, or...should I change it to Pee-yes now? :)
2. As much as I frequent the toilet, I floss my teeth even more frequently. In fact, I can floss more than I brush. This would be a habit that I picked up during my days as a student overseas. So Mynn, I do hope you'll join me in a floss fiesta once you come back.
3. I suppose you already know how much I love to shop for clothes. However, what you don't know is that, when I like a particular article of clothing, I will buy several 'copies' of it - in different colours.
4. I am afraid of needles. In fact, I avoid them as one would avoid the plague. I hold so much terror in my heart for the thing, that when I was going for my hajj, I tried convincing the doctor in charge of my check up to skip the poking bit of the process. Thank goodness, I managed to pull it off. Ha'ah kan? What reason did I give to him? I've forgotten already.
5. I'm an old faithful - though this hardly counts as weird since I know of several other people who are also the same.
6. I have this unusual compulsion to hide the things that I've bought - and clothes would be right at the top of the list. In the end, I forget where I've hidden them. Bea calls me a squirrel for this trait of mine. Well, at least the next time we want to hold a treasure hunt, we needn't go to the woods or parks. It'd be enough just to hunt down all my past purchases scattered around the house.
So, how about that? Go on ikelah...have a good laugh. After all, laughter is always the BEST medicine. I hope my list of eccentricities would be therapeutic. Take care and ....semoga cepat sembuh. ;)
Note to family members: IF you happen to come across this, don't think of it as an opportunity to take personal swipes at me. You are not allowed to do so, so long as I'm the first to rise in the household.
One more thing: I do hope that I'm not revealing myself too much by telling you all these things.
1. I am, what you could call, a regular visitor of the gents. This however, has nothing to do with a lack of control over my bladder. Instead, it is an attribute of my water drinking habit. I drink a lot of water - something common with the Chinese - to the extent that I will make several trips to the loo in a day. My children have in the past, nicknamed me "The Pee-man". Now you know the real meaning behind the nickname Pycno - which is pronounced as Pee-no, mind you, or...should I change it to Pee-yes now? :)
2. As much as I frequent the toilet, I floss my teeth even more frequently. In fact, I can floss more than I brush. This would be a habit that I picked up during my days as a student overseas. So Mynn, I do hope you'll join me in a floss fiesta once you come back.
3. I suppose you already know how much I love to shop for clothes. However, what you don't know is that, when I like a particular article of clothing, I will buy several 'copies' of it - in different colours.
4. I am afraid of needles. In fact, I avoid them as one would avoid the plague. I hold so much terror in my heart for the thing, that when I was going for my hajj, I tried convincing the doctor in charge of my check up to skip the poking bit of the process. Thank goodness, I managed to pull it off. Ha'ah kan? What reason did I give to him? I've forgotten already.
5. I'm an old faithful - though this hardly counts as weird since I know of several other people who are also the same.
6. I have this unusual compulsion to hide the things that I've bought - and clothes would be right at the top of the list. In the end, I forget where I've hidden them. Bea calls me a squirrel for this trait of mine. Well, at least the next time we want to hold a treasure hunt, we needn't go to the woods or parks. It'd be enough just to hunt down all my past purchases scattered around the house.
So, how about that? Go on ikelah...have a good laugh. After all, laughter is always the BEST medicine. I hope my list of eccentricities would be therapeutic. Take care and ....semoga cepat sembuh. ;)
Back In Bangkok...Hmm, Takde Tempat Lain Ke?
Assalamualaikum and hello everybody. Sorry for keeping quiet for the last couple of weeks. I've been too busy and have actually been away out of the country. When Drroza was complaining how expensive it was to buy tickets for Mohamad's trip to London despite the recent MAS fair, boy, don't I know about that for I just bought tickets for myself, Bea and Elvis. I did not tell about it since our good friend was in hospital recently, and I don't think it was appropriate for me to be talking about merry making with everyone else feeling rather sober. However, the tickets had been bought, and plans had been made and so when the time came, I could no longer postpone it.
Yes, it was a belated anniversary gift for Bea. Not for Elvis though, even if I did have to bring him along (and have him missing school for a week). Yes, I was back in Bangkok for one whole week. Told you I'm an old faithful. If I like a place, then I'll go over and over again.
The weather was very hot - in the range of 3o to 35 degrees. Thankfully, it wasn't much of a sight seeing trip, more of like a really relaxing getaway, with lots of makan-makan to boot. Can you believe it that we spent most of our time at the shopping complexes? Not to say that we shopped extensively as we didn't carry that much cash with us. Maklumlah, rumah belum siap lagi. To be honest, with the current condition of the house, I felt a bit guilty to be going for a holiday. But both of us have been busy, and Bea has been very kind and helpful. Even my children were very supportive and thought that we deserve the break. Surprisingly, none of them whined, asking to tag along. Besides, my eldest has his exams sometime next month, my second will be sitting for his finals starting today, and my only daughter is also busy preparing for her SPM this year. Number 4 is so busy and so into rugby right now, and of course, the little Elvis; I just can't let him out of my sight even for a second.
Well, here are some pictures that I'd like to share with you. Just in case you would like to plan your own Bangkok getaway :))
I thought this was a good guide for tourists when hailing cabs.
This was at one of the Sky Train stations. Over there, they have security guards to ensure the safety of passengers. Definitely something we can learn.
The Thais are very creative. Can you see? Sugar cane being sold in the peeled form, just waiting to be chewed.
This Ferris Wheel was at Suan Lun Night Market. Elvis enjoyed himself very much riding it.
Meet Rahoo, the demon who according to myth, had something to do with the lunar eclipse. He was one of the characters at the Joe Louis Thai Traditional Puppet Theatre.
Well, you see how popular Elvis is. Here, he - or rather, his forehead - is flanked by two very pretty Thai girls.
At the Calypso Cabaret, Evis met another of his fans - Dan from Michigan.
Even on the way back at the departure hall, this Thai boy insisted to have his picture taken with Elvis (or was it the other way round?)
Another one of Elvis' antics - posing next to the Three Headed Dragon
p.s. I know that I've been tagged by Ikelah, however, I'm not quite in the right frame of mind yet to be telling weird things about myself. I promise to work on that once I'm back to normal. It's good to know that you are on the road to recovery, Ikelah. Still on leave? Take care my friend.
Yes, it was a belated anniversary gift for Bea. Not for Elvis though, even if I did have to bring him along (and have him missing school for a week). Yes, I was back in Bangkok for one whole week. Told you I'm an old faithful. If I like a place, then I'll go over and over again.
The weather was very hot - in the range of 3o to 35 degrees. Thankfully, it wasn't much of a sight seeing trip, more of like a really relaxing getaway, with lots of makan-makan to boot. Can you believe it that we spent most of our time at the shopping complexes? Not to say that we shopped extensively as we didn't carry that much cash with us. Maklumlah, rumah belum siap lagi. To be honest, with the current condition of the house, I felt a bit guilty to be going for a holiday. But both of us have been busy, and Bea has been very kind and helpful. Even my children were very supportive and thought that we deserve the break. Surprisingly, none of them whined, asking to tag along. Besides, my eldest has his exams sometime next month, my second will be sitting for his finals starting today, and my only daughter is also busy preparing for her SPM this year. Number 4 is so busy and so into rugby right now, and of course, the little Elvis; I just can't let him out of my sight even for a second.
Well, here are some pictures that I'd like to share with you. Just in case you would like to plan your own Bangkok getaway :))
I thought this was a good guide for tourists when hailing cabs.
This was at one of the Sky Train stations. Over there, they have security guards to ensure the safety of passengers. Definitely something we can learn.
The Thais are very creative. Can you see? Sugar cane being sold in the peeled form, just waiting to be chewed.
This Ferris Wheel was at Suan Lun Night Market. Elvis enjoyed himself very much riding it.
Meet Rahoo, the demon who according to myth, had something to do with the lunar eclipse. He was one of the characters at the Joe Louis Thai Traditional Puppet Theatre.
Well, you see how popular Elvis is. Here, he - or rather, his forehead - is flanked by two very pretty Thai girls.
At the Calypso Cabaret, Evis met another of his fans - Dan from Michigan.
Even on the way back at the departure hall, this Thai boy insisted to have his picture taken with Elvis (or was it the other way round?)
Another one of Elvis' antics - posing next to the Three Headed Dragonp.s. I know that I've been tagged by Ikelah, however, I'm not quite in the right frame of mind yet to be telling weird things about myself. I promise to work on that once I'm back to normal. It's good to know that you are on the road to recovery, Ikelah. Still on leave? Take care my friend.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Tentang Rumah Yang Belum Siap, Majlis Pertunangan dan Singa Yang Menjelma
Sudah lebih sebulan berlalu, dan rasa nya telah terlalu lama saya menghilangkan diri dari alam cyber. Walau pun ‘malas’ telah saya jadikan sebagai alasan sebelum ini, namun itu bukan sesungguhnya alasan yang sebenarnya. Sibuk tu, memang lah sibuk juga. Tapi, siapa pula, terutama sekali yang tinggal di ibu kota 
Seperti jangkaan drroza, beginilah rupa rumah ibu saya yang belum siap. Seperti sebuah kubu pertahanan Belanda.
Salah satu sudut di dalam bilik ibu saya
Inilah rupa siling berhias di dalam. Saya sukakan motif yang ringkas sahaja
Seperti mahu berkelahi pula mereka berdua ini. Agaknya yang satu mendapat ang pau lebih?
Selama sebulan lebih yang telah berlalu, banyak sekali yang telah berlaku.
Walau apa pun, biarlah kita berbicara tentang perkara-perkara yang boleh dan sanggup saya kongsikan bersama dengan anda di sini. Yang selebihnya, mungkin ada rakan lain yang akan menyentuh dan memperkatakan tentang nya, atau juga, suatu hari nanti, saya mungkin akan diberikan ilham serta kekuatan untuk menulis mengenainya.
Saya pernah memberitahu pada Aidil Fitri yang lalu, bahawa saya sedang membaiki rumah yang di diami oleh ibu saya di kampung. Pada masa itu harapan saya, ianya dapat disiapkan pada Hari Raya Korban. Betul sebagaimana dijangkakan oleh DITH….memang ianya belum lagi siap. Mungkin lepas ini DITH boleh menilik bila pula saya akan mendapat kenaikan gaji? Bergurau sahaja. Lebih baik saya bertanya kepada bos saya (Aha! Adakah itu bermakna pycno makan gaji? Jeng jeng jeng….)
Bagaimanapun, beginilah rupa rumah itu sekarang. Lebih baik daripada dulu, tidak begitu?
Seperti jangkaan drroza, beginilah rupa rumah ibu saya yang belum siap. Seperti sebuah kubu pertahanan Belanda.
Salah satu sudut di dalam bilik ibu saya
Inilah rupa siling berhias di dalam. Saya sukakan motif yang ringkas sahaja
Adakah para pembaca sekalian masih mengingati
Dan walaupun saya tidak melafazkannya di majlis tersebut, namun saya pasti sekiranya arwah Pakcik Lan dan Mak Nab masih ada, mereka tentu akan merasa terlalu gembira dengan pertunangan anak bongsu mereka itu. Saya dapat bayangkan Pakcik Lan dan jenaka-jenakanya yang sentiasa menghiburkan hati para hadirin, manakala Mak Nab pula tentu sekali akan sibuk membuat kerja sambil berceloteh bersama para wanita di dapur.
Kepada Nur Hafizah Mazlan, ucapan TAHNIAH dari Abang Pycno.....(itu lah nama Abang di alam cyber ini). Beritahu awal-awal ye bila nak kenduri nanti. Kami semua nak pergi ke Johor beramai-ramai untuk memeriahkan majlis dan bertemu sanak saudara di sana.
P/S: Dan baru sebentar tadi, rumah jiran kami di kunjungi dua ekor Singa. Saya mengambil kesempatan untuk mengucapkan Selamat Tahun Baru. Semoga di tahun "Baby" ini, kita semua akan mendapat kebaikan dan kesejahteraan
Sang Singa mencari-cari ang pau
Seperti mahu berkelahi pula mereka berdua ini. Agaknya yang satu mendapat ang pau lebih?
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Only the best wishes for a good friend...on her special day!!
From Bea and Pycno:
Happy Birthday Roza, our very good friend
To us you are heaven sent
We’ve never known a brighter spirit
With all good thoughts and deeds of merit
A kinder person we’ve rarely known
Your friendship true and love you’ve shown
So today our special friend
With all our love we do send
Special bouquets of all God’s flowers
Filled with prayers with all His powers
To keep you safe throughout your days
And strength no matter what comes your way
Be strong my friend, and may Allah always be with you
Saturday, January 13, 2007
...zzzzz........
I'm just lazy to post anything for now. Lazy to leave any comments and lazy to even think. I'm lazy to even finish this sentence.........zzzzzzzzzz........
White flag.....I surrender.
White flag.....I surrender.
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